Seyed Ali Bazghandi - Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
Somayeh Safarirad - Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
Farzad Khademi - Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran

Background and Aim : Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is a highly virulent and drug resistant gram-negative pathogen responsible for several hospital- and community-acquired infections. Furthermore, treatment of multidrug-resistant (MDR) P. aeruginosa infections is difficult and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assessment, MDR P. aeruginosa is considered as serious threat against public health worldwide. Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of MDR, extremely drug-resistant (XDR) and pandrug-resistant (PDR) P. aeruginosa strains isolated from clinical specimens in Ardabil in ۲۰۲۰-۲۰۲۱. Methods : Fifty isolates of P. aeruginosa was collected from various specimens in five hospitals in Ardabil during April ۲۰۲۰ to April ۲۰۲۱. Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method was used for P. aeruginosa drug susceptibility testing and the interpretation of results was done based on the CLSI guideline. Results : The prevalence of MDR P. aeruginosa strains was ۳۰ (۶۰%). In addition, ۲۳ (۷۶.۶%) and ۱ (۳.۳%) of MDR P. aeruginosa strains were XDR and PDR, respectively. Multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa strains were isolated from sputum specimens (۴۰%, n=۱۲), urine (۳۶.۶%, n=۱۱), wound (۱۳.۳%, n=۴) and blood (۱۰%, n=۳). Conclusion : Our results revealed an increasing trend of the prevalence of MDR and XDR P. aeruginosa in comparison with ۲۰۱۹-۲۰۲۰ in Ardabil hospitals. Therefore, annually monitoring of P. aeruginosa drug resistance in order to choice the best therapeutic regimen and prevent treatment failure is completely needed.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa; antibiotic resistance; infection