Plasmid profiling of multiple antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from soil of the industrial area in Chittagong, Bangladesh

Abstract

Abstract Background Multiple antibiotic-resistant (MAR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) plays a significant role in triggering nosocomial infection in clinical settings. While P. aeruginosa isolated from the environment is often regarded as non-pathogenic, the progressive development of antibiotic resistance necessitates exploring the MAR patterns and transposable genetic elements like plasmid in the isolates. Results Using ecfX gene-based PCR, 32 P. aeruginosa isolates among 48 soil samples collected from the industrial region have been confirmed. The antibiotic susceptibility pattern of those isolates revealed that 5 (15.63%) of them were resistant to a range of antibiotics, and they were categorized as MAR isolates. Nevertheless, all MAR isolates were found resistant to piperacillin and gentamicin, but none of them to ceftazidime, aztreonam, and ciprofloxacin. Moreover, the isolates were also showed resistance to amikacin (60%), tobramycin (80%), netilmicin (80%), imipenem (60%), doripenem (40%), meropenem (60%), and cefixime (40%). Furthermore, 60% of MAR isolates possessed double plasmids of 1000–2000 bp sizes which indicates the distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in MAR P. aeruginosa might be correlated with the presence of those plasmids. The MAR index’s high threshold values (> 0.20) implied that the isolates were from high-risk environmental sites where the presence of numerous antibiotic residues happened. Conclusions These findings highlighted the presence of multiple antibiotic resistance in P. aeruginosa of the industrial soil and a considerable prospect of transferring antibiotic resistance genes in the microbial community by plasmids. We recommend taking immediate stringent measures to prohibit the unnecessary and overuse of antibiotics in agricultural, industrial, or other purposes.