Integron profiles and sulfonamide resistance genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from diabetic patients with urinary tract infection
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61882/jcbior.6.4.335Keywords:
Klebsiella pneumoniae, Sulfonamide, Integrons, Urinary tract infectionAbstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae is an opportunistic pathogen and an important cause of pneumonia, bacteremia and urinary tract infection (UTI). K. pneumoniae infection is historically associated with diabetes. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the Integron types and sulfonamide resistance genes in K. pneumoniae isolated from diabetic patients with urinary tract infection. In this descriptive-cross-sectional study, 90 K. pneumoniae isolates were collected from urine samples of diabetic patients. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using disk diffusion methods. Detection of the sulfonamide resistance determinants and integron types were carried out through PCR. In this study, 90 K. pneumoniae isolates were obtained from diabetic patients with UTI, with a mean age of 69.8 ± 9.2 years; 58.9% were female. Antibiotic resistance was highest to gentamicin (70%) and ceftriaxone (65.5%), and lowest to imipenem (32.2%), with significant resistance also observed to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (50%). Among the isolates, sul1 (91.8%) and intI (67%) were the most prevalent resistance genes followed by dfrA1 (63%) and sul2 (52%). The dfrA5 gene was not detected in any of the isolates. The predominance of sul1 and class I integrons among K. pneumoniae isolates from diabetic patients with UTI underscores their key role in the spread of multidrug resistance. These findings emphasize the importance of targeted antimicrobial stewardship, infection control, and monitoring strategies to prevent treatment failure in this high-risk population.
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