Molecular and epidemiological study of pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from burn patients in Baghdad city-Iraq

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is rod-shaped with Gram-negative pathogens. It causes disease in humans and animals. P. aeruginosa interferes with the burn cure rates and can lead to increased death among the patients. The current study aims to detect pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates using the classical biochemical methods and polymerase chain reaction technique after isolating pseudomonas aeruginosa from burns cases in Baghdad-Iraq. A sterile swab takes Fifty samples randomly from Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital and Kadhemia Hospital. All samples were inoculated on rich media and then submitted to staining by gram stain and the biochemical tests (lactose fermenter, oxidase, and catalase….). The positive samples for biochemical tests are submitted to the PCR test for confirmation diagnosis. All the data related to age and gender are recorded to determine the epidemiological aspects. The findings demonstrate that the percentage of p. aeruginosa in burn cases using biochemical testing was 17/50 (34%), and the percentage of p. aeruginosa isolates from burn samples using the PCR technique was 13/17 (76.4%). In addition, the percentage of P. aeruginosa isolates using PCR in the males was 8/13 (61.5%), while the percentage of p. aeruginosa isolates using PCR in the females was 5/13 (38.4%). The infection percentage in the age groups (1-10), (11-20), (21-30), (31-40), and (41-50) years were (7.6%), (7.6%), (7.6%), (30.7%), and (46.1%), respectively. The conclusion is that PCR is an accurate method for detecting Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection is occurring higher in burn males than in burn females. Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection occurs more in the elderly than in young children.