مقاومت به دارو

The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between efflux pump activity and the frequency of pslABD genes in clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa collected from diabetic foot infections.

In this descriptive-analytical study, we obtained 91 isolates of P. aeruginosa from diabetic ulcers through biochemical testing. We assessed the antibiotic resistance patterns and identified ESBL- and AmpC-producing strains using the disc diffusion method. The activity of the efflux pumps was evaluated using the agar cartwheel method. Additionally, we investigated the pslABD locus along with the mexA, oprD, and oprM genes using PCR.

Out of the 91 P. aeruginosa isolates, 68 (74.7%) were identified as ESBL strains, and 53 (58.2%) as AmpC strains. Additionally, 61 isolates (67.1%) formed biofilms, while 30 isolates (32.9%) did not. Furthermore, the presence of the following genes was noted: mexA in 19 isolates (20.8%), pslA in 22 isolates (24.1%), pslB in 27 isolates (29.6%), pslD in 19 isolates (20.8%), oprD in 36 isolates (39.5%), and ompM in 41 isolates (45%). A significant relationship was observed between the presence of pslA (P=0.02), pslB (P=0.019), and pslD (P=0.03) and the frequency distribution of beta-lactamase-producing strains. Moreover, isolates carrying the pslA (P=0.012), pslB (P=0.49), and pslD (P=0.025) genes exhibited significantly increased efflux pump activity.

In P. aeruginosa from diabetic foot, the psl locus is crucial in enhancing the activity of efflux pumps and influencing the distribution of AmpC and ESBL-producing strains.