Contribution of icaADBC genes in biofilm production ability of Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates collected from hospitalized patients at a burn center in North of Iran.

Introduction: The pathogenicity of Staphylococcus aureus is significantly attributed to its capacity to produce biofilms, which bolster bacterial resistance against antibiotics and host immune responses. This study aimed to explore the involvement of icaABCD genes in biofilm formation ability of S. aureus clinical isolates.

Materials and methods: One hundred clinical S. aureus isolates were collected from hospitalized patients at a burn center in North of Iran. The isolates were identified using standard biochemical tests and confirmed by the presence of the nuc gene. Antibiotic susceptibility profiles were determined through the disk agar diffusion method. Biofilm formation capacity was determined using microtiter plate assay. PCR test was conducted to detect the presence of icaABCD genes.

Results: Penicillin exhibited the highest resistance rate (94%), while vancomycin was most effective antibiotic with 6% resistance. Besides, 32% of the isolates demonstrated as multidrug resistant (MDR) and 29% were Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Notably, 89% of the isolates were identified as biofilm produces, while 54 (60.67%), 28 (31.46%), and 7 (7.86%) isolates exhibited strong, moderate, and weakly biofilm production ability, respectively. PCR results revealed a prevalence of 90%, 92%, 92%, and 94% for the icaA, icaB, icaC, and icaD genes, respectively. Intriguingly, the MDR isolates exhibited a 100% prevalence of these genes. Similarly, 96.55%, 89.65%, 89.65% and 96.55% of the MRSA isolates were carrying the icaA, icaB, icaC, and icaD genes, respectively.

Conclusion: This study revealed a noteworthy prevalence of biofilm-producing strains of S. aureus. High prevalence of icaADBC genes as well as highlighted capacity of the biofilm formation in MRSA and MDR strains exhibited a potential correlation between biofilm and antibiotic resistance patterns. Given the enhanced resilience of bacteria within biofilms against antibiotics, addressing biofilm production is imperative alongside antibiotic treatments for effective control and eradication of infections.