Investigating Class I Integron and Antimicrobial Resistance Profile of Klebsiella pneumonia isolates in Babol, North of Iran

Abstract

the class I integrons. We also investigated the suitability of the two pairs of primers for the detection of the intl gene. Results : Antibiotic susceptibility testing revealed 90% resistance to ceftizoxime, cefotaxime, and cefepime, 88.6% to cefazolin, gentamicin, ticarcillin, and ceftriaxone, 83.3% to imipenem, 60% to ciprofloxacin, 56.6% to ofloxacin, and 36.6% to amikacin. The PCRs with two pairs of primers, one designed previously and the other in this study, detected int1 in 36.6% and 60% of samples, respectively. Conclusion: The int1 gene was of high prevalence (60%) in K. pneumoniae isolates. This factor could play a significant role in the spread of MDR strains. Also, failure to adhere to essential points in the design of the primer can lead to the production of primers with low specificity and efficiency, which reduces the proper identification of antibiotic resistance genes.