The Prevalence of Proteus mirabilis isolated from different clinical specimens in Zakho City, Iraq

Proteus mirabilis is the most common species among the genus Proteus that has been associated with various infections in humans. In this study, the prevalence of P. mirabilis among outpatients with UTIs, ear, burns, wounds, respiratory tract infections, and vaginitis who attended the major hospitals and clinics in Zakho city has been investigated. Four hundred specimens were collected from both genders at different ages (≤1 year to over 50 years), from July 2021 to January 2022. All specimens were analyzed according to conventional bacteriological methods for detecting the presence of P. mirabilis. Also, a molecular method was used using species-specific ureR primer to confirm the presence of P. mirabilis among the isolates. From all collected specimens, 23.75% (95/400) were identified as P. mirabilis with a higher rate in males than females (52.63% vs 47.37). Among both genders, the age group ≤ 1-10 years showed the highest rate of infection (61.90%). Married patients had a higher rate (27%) than unmarried ones (16.92%). In terms of residency, rural inhabitants had the highest rate (31.25%) among other inhabitants. Furthermore, infections during the months of the year were at their maximum rate during August (52.27%), while reduced to 11.67% in October. ureR primer gives a precise and specific detection of P. mirabilis. This study highlights that; P. mirabilis is one of the remarkable bacteria that cause various infections in humans through various risk factors like anatomical abnormalities, gender, age, and chronic diseases that facilitate its spreading in the community.