Examining the frequency and role of ompk35 and ompk36 genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates with multidrug resistance

Increasing antimicrobial resistance in thermonegative bacteria of the Enterobacteriaceae family has become a global problem. Klebsiella pneumoniae is a thermonegative opportunistic pathogen that has been considered in causing a wide range of diseases and antibiotic resistance due to its various resistance mechanisms. In this regard, the aim of the present study is to investigate the presence and role of ompK35 and ompK36 genes in isolates of K. Pneumonia is resistant to several drugs.

96 isolates were collected from patients referred to hospitals in Borujerd city in 2019 and were identified using differential tests. Antibiotic sensitivity test was performed by disk diffusion method and identification of ompK35 and ompK36 genes using PCR.

82.12% of isolates were resistant to ampicillin antibiotic. The most effective antibiotic was gentamicin with resistance rate (38.9%). 28 isolates had multidrug resistance. ompK35 gene in 12.5% of K. pneumoniae and ompK36 gene were observed in 11.45% of clinical isolates.

The results of this study showed that the absence of ompK35 and ompK36 genes plays a role in creating resistance to all kinds of antibiotics and it is necessary to pay attention to this issue in choosing antibiotics to treat and eliminate these isolates. Isolates lacking omk36 were more resistant to the studied antibiotics, especially gentamicin and ciprofloxacin, than isolates lacking ompk35 (P<0.05).