Molecular Investigation of pgaA, pgaB, pgaC, and pgaD Genes Associated with Biofilm Formation in Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii Isolates in Qom City
Authors
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Alireza Shahvaroghi
- Department of Microbiology, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran.
https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3803-8484
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Razieh Nazari
- Department of Microbiology, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran.
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4819-5735
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Seyed Soheil Aghaei
- Department of Microbiology, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran.
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2144-1860
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22100/jkh.v19i1.3204Keywords:
Acinetobacter baumannii, Biofilm, Pga genesAbstract
Introduction: Acinetobacter baumannii is a common cause of infection in hospitalized patients, particularly in intensive care, surgical, and burn units. The ability to form biofilms is considered one of the major virulence factors of this bacterium. The expression of pga genes plays a crucial role in exopolysaccharide synthesis, bacterial adhesion, biofilm formation, and antibiotic resistance. This study aims to investigate the presence of pga genes in carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii clinical isolates and their ability to form biofilms.
Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study examined 97 carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii strains for the presence of pgaA, pgaB, pgaC, and pgaD genes using PCR. The biofilm-forming capacity of the strains was assessed using the microtiter plate method, and the results were analyzed using SPSS software and Pearson's correlation test.
Results: Among the 97 carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii strains, 72.16% carried the pgaA gene, 58.76% carried the pgaB gene, 1.03% carried the pgaC gene, and 51.54% carried the pgaD gene. The presence of the pgaA gene was more prevalent compared to other genes, while the pgaC gene showed lower prevalence. Additionally, 29 strains (29.89%) exhibited strong biofilm formation, 30 strains (30.92%) exhibited moderate biofilm formation, and 38 strains (39.17%) exhibited weak biofilm formation.
Conclusion: The results suggest that the pgaC gene may play a lesser role in biofilm formation in A. baumannii since its expression was lower in strong and moderate biofilm-forming strains compared to other pga genes. The other pga genes showed a relatively similar distribution among strong and moderate biofilm-forming strains.
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