Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Isolated from Burn Infections in Samarra City of Iraq
Keywords:
Burn wound infection, Maltidrug resistance16s rRna saquenceing, Antibiotic susceptibility, resistance, sensitive, Polymerase Chain Reaction, NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information)Abstract
Background: Burn infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality due to the high risk of bacterial colonization, antimicrobial resistance, and subsequent invasive infections, making accurate morphological and molecular characterization of multidrug resistant bacterial pathogens essential for guiding effective treatment and infection control strategies.
Objective: The aim of this research was to isolate and perform morphological and molecular characterization of bacteria contaminating burns, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Proteus mirabilis, Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella pnemoniae, Citrobacter species and to compare the molecular characterization of these bacteria before and after they developed antibiotic resistance and to determine if any mutations occurred at the molecular level.
Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study that was conducted in the Department of Biology Sciences at University of Samarra, Samarra, Iraq. This study was carried out from November 2024 and February 2025. Bacteria were isolated and identified from 40 burn samples. Morphological and biochemical diagnosis revealed the presence of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Tests showed high resistance to common antibiotics such as penicillin and cefotaxime, with relative sensitivity to azithromycin. Molecular diagnosis using 16S rRNA gene sequencing confirmed the identity of the isolates, indicating the presence of other species such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter cloacae.
Results: These results confirm the prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria in burn injuries and highlight the importance of accurate molecular diagnosis and susceptibility testing for improving treatment and genetic surveillance of resistance.
Conclusion: Analysis also revealed ribosomal gene mutations in some isolates following antibiotic exposure, suggesting the influence of selective pressure in the development of resistance.
Bangladesh Journal of Infectious Diseases, June 2026;13(1):319-330
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Copyright (c) 2026 Harith Ahmed Mustafa, Amidah Ali Atyiah, Yousif Awad Khalaf, Haqi Ismael Jasim
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