Evaluation of antibiotic resistance profile and biofilm forming potential of Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the leading causes of hospital-acquired as well as community-acquired infections due to significant changes in microbial genetic ecology; as a result of indiscriminate use of antibiotics, the spread of multidrug resistance (MDR) is now a global problem. Its general resistance is due to a combination of factors for examples resistance genes, efflux poumps and Biofilm. The biofilms also prevent effective penetration of the antibiotics, which increasethe chances of antibiotic resistance. In the present study sixty clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosaobtained from Sina hospital. They were identified by routine standards and operative procedures; antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done using Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. The biofilm forming potential of these isolates was also evaluated using microtitre assay. Finally, a relationship between biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance was also examined. The isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa tested were found resistant to most of the antibiotics tested. Qualitative biofilm analysis revealed that most of the isolates exhibited strong biofilm production. The strong biofilm production was significantly higher in isolates that were multi-drug resistant (p =0.042). Our study indicates that multi-drug resistant, biofilm forming Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates are correlated. The high prevalence of biofilm producers and multiresistant P. aeruginosa isolates indicates that prevention programs need to be implemented to avoid infection in highly susceptible patients.