Isolation of clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa harboring different plasmids

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen frequently associated with hospital-acquired infections.
• Plasmids are extrachromosomal DNA elements that can carry genes conferring antibiotic resistance and virulence factors.
• Understanding plasmid carriage in clinical isolates is crucial for infection control and treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the presence and diversity of plasmids in Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from clinical cases in Tehran.
• To analyze the plasmid profiles of these isolates using electrophoretic methods.

Main Methods:

• Isolation and identification of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains from clinical samples.
• Plasmid DNA extraction from the isolated strains.
• Electrophoretic analysis of plasmid DNA to determine the number and size of plasmid bands.

Main Results:

• Out of 38 isolated Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains, 37 (97.3%) harbored at least one plasmid.
• Electrophoretic analysis revealed variations in the number of plasmid bands among the strains.
• A DNA band of 1.4 kbp was observed in 84.2% of the isolates.
• Approximately 71% of isolates carried two plasmids, and 21% carried three plasmids concurrently.

Conclusions:

• The high prevalence of plasmids in clinical Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from Tehran indicates their significant role in bacterial populations.
• The diversity of plasmid types suggests the potential for dissemination of different Pseudomonas aeruginosa clusters.
• Further studies are warranted to characterize the genes carried by these plasmids and their clinical implications.