Investigating virulence gene and sulfonamide antibiotic resistance in Proteus mirabilis isolated from urinary tract infections in Iran

Proteus mirabilis is one of the most important causes of urinary tract infection (UTI) and an opportunistic pathogen that can cause infection, especially in the urinary tract and bladder, pyelonephritis or kidney stones, especially in people with catheters or people with abnormalities of urinary system. The pathogenicity of this bacterium is caused by several genes, and sulfonamides prevent the growth of these bacteria by inhibiting DNA synthesis. The purpose of this study is to investigate the pathogenic genes that cause sulfonamide antibiotic resistance in Proteus mirabilis isolated from urinary infections in Iran.

In this study, biochemical tests were performed to confirm the identity of Proteus mirabilis bacteria and DNA extraction, and then multiplex PCR tests were performed to identify pathogenicity genes Fal and Urea and antibiotic resistance genes Sul1 and Sul2 using specific primers.

In this research, biochemical tests confirmed the identity of the bacteria and the target strain and multiple resistance of the Proteus mirabilis strain was observed to several different types of antibiotics. In addition, Multiplex PCR verified that more than 90% of the isolated strains had pathogenic genes (91.7% Fal and 95% Urea gene) and more than 50% of the strains had antibiotic resistance genes (51.7% Sul1 and 56.7% Sul2).

Considering the excessive use of antibiotics worldwide and the increasing spread of antibiotic resistance, it is better to check the pathogenic genes and their resistance to the antibiotics during the outbreak of the disease, consequently, the use of the antibiotics and their side effects must be reduced and to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance.