Molecular Identification and Detection of Virulence Genes among Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Burns Infections

Objective: Virulence factors are substances produced by pathogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa that contribute significantly to the etiology of disease. Virulence genes encode these virulence factors on the Pseudomonas aeruginosa chromosome. Methods: Between July 2021 and June 2022, at the Burn and Plastic Surgery Hospital in Duhok city, Iraq, seventy-one isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were isolated from infected burns. The lasB and toxA genes were identified using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Results: P. aeruginosa was isolated from 64.55% (71/110) of the specimens, with non -significantly higher rate from females than males (38.18% vs 26.36%), but the differences between various ages were significant (P < 0.04). About 38.18% of burns were due to flame and the highest rate (45.4%) of infected burns were second-degree burns. Furthermore, 76.06% (54/71) of the isolates were multidrug resistant. They demonstrated greater resistance to Piperacillin; the resistance was 98.59%. Of the isolates examined, 35 (64.81%) were positive for toxA and 27 (50%) were positive for lasB genes. Conclusion: Due to the limited number of effective medications against this bacterium that are currently available, testing for antimicrobial susceptibility must be performed on all isolates. By doing this, you can help manage the treatment plan and stop the emergence of resistance in burn units.