Occurrence of the <i>aacA4</i> gene among multidrug resistant strains of <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> isolated from bronchial secretions obtained from the Intensive Therapy Unit at University Hospital in Bialystok, Poland

• Main Authors: Paweł Sacha, Jadwiga Jaworowska, Dominika Ojdana, Piotr Wieczorek, Sławomir Czaban, Elżbieta Tryniszewska
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Via Medica 2012-07-01
• Series: Folia Histochemica et Cytobiologica
• Subjects: Pseudomonas aeruginosa; aacA4 gene; antimicrobial susceptibility
• Online Access: http://czasopisma.viamedica.pl/fhc/article/view/19354
• ISSN: 0239-8508; 1897-5631

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of the <em>aacA4</em> gene in a population of multidrug resistant strains of <em>P. aeruginosa</em> isolated from bronchial secretions obtained from the Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU). Twelve MDR isolates were tested for antibiotic susceptibility and the presence of the <em>aacA4</em> gene. In this study, 58.3% of the strains contained (6’)-Ib’ aminoglycoside acetyltransferase gene. All of the studied strains (<em>aacA4</em>-positive and <em>aacA4</em>-negative) were susceptible only to colistine (100%). Among other antibiotics, the lowest resistance rates were those shown against ceftazidime (14.3% to 20%) and imipenem (28.6% to 40%). Our studies frequently revealed the presence of the <em>aacA4</em> gene as a factor responsible for resistance; it is probable that other mechanisms of resistance to aminoglycoside antibiotics also occurred.