Study the frequency of fluoroquinolone-resistant genes (Fu-Ru) in Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from Covid-19 patients in Kerman, Iran using PCR-based detection method
Abstract
Background: The robust capacity of microorganisms to overcome inhibitory factors stands out as a critical determinant in the survival of infectious diseases. The emergence of resistance to multiple antimicrobial agents among various microorganisms poses a significant threat to the efficacy and advantages of antimicrobial treatments, necessitating judicious decision-making. For over fifty years, antibiotics have been instrumental in swiftly and effectively treating infections During the corona pandemic, there was a significant increase in the excessive use of antibiotics among patients. This unscheduled use of antibiotics led to the increase of antibiotic resistant strains of different bacteria. The purpose of this research is to investigate the prevalence of resistance to fluoroquinolones in Staphylococcal strains isolated from covid-19 patients. Methods: The disc diffusion test was performed using the Kirby-Bauer method. Fu-Ru enzymes produced by a double-disk synergy (DDS) test and using Ciprofloxacin (30 µg/ml) and Ceftazidime plus Nalidixic Acid (30+10 µg/ml) was determined. Fu-Ru gene were detected in the isolates using PCR. Results: Approximately 87 S. aureus isolates from different clinical specimens, including urine (1%), wounds (3%), bronchoalveolar lavage (71%), blood (20%), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (5%). All isolates were resistant to Ciprofloxacin, most of which had MICs between 32 and 256 µg/ml, and only two isolates with high resistance of 512 µg/ml were identified. A significant relationship was observed between the presence of Fu-Ru gene and the MIC results of Ciprofloxacin. For Fu-Ru the frequency of this gene between isolates were 80 percent. Conclusions: The results of current research confirmed that the Covid-19 pandemic cause increase in the resistance of Staphylococcus aureus to fluoroquinolones antibiotics.
Author
Tayebeh Ahmadi
ISSN
Publish Date: 2025-04-30