Association between biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates versus antibiotic resistance and genes involved with biofilm.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most common Gram-negative bacteria and causes nosocomial infections among hospitalized patients, especially the immune compromised or patients associated with indwelling devices. These bacteria are susceptible to a wide variety of currently available antibiotics. One of the antibiotic-resistant mechanisms that the bacteria employ is the formation of biofilms, adding another degree of resistance to deleterious agents such as antibiotics, sanitizers and disinfectants. A biofilm is a community of cells attached to either a biotic or an abiotic surface and enclosed in a complex exopolymeric substance. This study’s aim was to measure biofilm production and its association with antibiotic resistance among the clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa. The results of biofilm production were shown for 108 isolates (79.4%). In this study, we found that antibiotic resistance was higher among biofilm producing P. aeruginosa than among non-producers. Only 21.4% had thepqsA gene, which significantly correlated with biofilm formation (P = 0.009). Our investigations suggested that thepqsA gene could be a candidate for screening bacteria that form biofilms and that this can be detectedin clinical isolates. Bacteriaproducing biofilms enhance the spread of antibiotic resistance, which can lead to an accumulation of virulence genes, further complicating treatment options. A new therapeutic strategy could be aco-treatment approach that combines traditional antibiotics with a substance that interferes with biofilms, rendering them more susceptible to treatment.