2Background and Aim:  Staphylococcus haemolyticus is a prominent pathogen in hospital-related infections, exhibiting high antibiotic resistance. This study aimed to investigate antibiotic sensitivity, biofilm formation, and the presence of virulence-associated genes in S. haemolyticus isolated from pregnant women with urinary tract infections. Materials and Methods:  Clinical samples were collected from pregnant women with urinary tract infections between October 2021 and December 2022. S. haemolyticus isolates were identified using cultural, biochemical, and molecular methods. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined using the VITEK-2 system. Biofilm formation was assessed, and virulence-associated genes (hla, hlb, fnbA, and fnbB) were detected using PCR. Results: Among 260 clinical samples, 36 S. haemolyticus isolates were identified. The isolates exhibited high resistance to Benzylpencillin, Erythromycin, oxacillin, Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, Levofloxacin, and Gentamicin. Resistance was lower to Tigecycline, linezolid, tobramycin, Rifampin, vancomycin, Moxifloxacin, Tetracycline, and Ticoplanin. Biofilm formation was negative in 69. 4% and weak in 30. 6% of isolates. The hla gene was present in all isolates, while hlb was detected in 77. 7%. Detection rates of fnbA and fnbB were 88. 8% and 38. 8%, respectively. Conclusion:  This study highlights the high antibiotic resistance, limited biofilm formation ability, and prevalence of virulence-associated genes in S. haemolyticus isolates from pregnant women with urinary tract infections. These findings underscore the clinical significance of this bacterium and the need for infection control measures

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the major pathogens causing burnt wound infection in hospitals. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of exoenzyme U (exoU) and exoenzyme S (exoS) genes and the antibiotic resistance pattern of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from burn patients' samples in Kermanshah City, Iran.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 194 samples were tested with conventional bacteriological methods. After evaluation of antibiotic sensitivity with disc diffusion method, specific primers were deployed to assess the frequency of exoU and exoS genes among isolates. The retrieved data were analyzed using SPSS software. Findings: From 91 isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 72 (79.1%) were multi-drug resistant (MDR) isolates. The most prevalent antibiotic resistances were against gentamicin (79.1%) and ceftazidime (74.7%); the most prevalent sensitivities were against colistin (100%) and polymixin B (92.3%). The frequency of exoU and exoS genes was 80.2% and 68.1%, respectively. There were significant relationships between the frequency of exoU gene and resistance to ceftazidime (P=0.041) and cefotaxime (P=0.050).Conclusion: Considering the role of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in burn wound infections and the role of cytotoxin and antibiotic resistance genes in colonization and survival of this bacteria, avoiding home remedies, accurate detection of virulence factors, and recognition of antibiotic resistance pattern among the isolates in order to choose the appropriate antibiotic regimen to prevent infection seem to be necessary.

Campylobacter is a major public health problem, leading to foodborne diarrhea in the world. The current study aimed to isolate Campylobacter in different sources of poultry and determine antimicrobial susceptibility. A total of 150 fecal and 29 cloacal swabs were obtained from poultry farms (84 cloacal swabs) and live bird markets (LBMs), respectively, and 37 cecal swabs were also acquired from a local slaughterhouse located in the middle Euphrates region. Campylobacter Species (spp. ) was first isolated and characterized by conventional bacteriological methods. Secondly, the antimicrobial susceptibility of isolates was investigated by disc diffusion method. The overall prevalence of Campylobacter spp. isolated from fecal cloacal and cecal poultry samples was 24% (36 out of 150). All strains were resistant to Nalidixic acid and Ciprofloxacin (100%), with high resistance to Tetracycline (88. 8%), Ampicillin (83. 3%), Sulpha/Trimethoprim (80. 5%), Erythromycin (50%), and Ceftriaxone (50%), but less resistant to Gentamicin (30. 5%), Amoxi-Clav (27. 7%), and Chloramphenicol (22. 2%). The majority of isolates (97. 2%) scored a multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index of 0. 3 or more, and 35 (97. 2%) isolates were resistant to three or more antibiotic classes. Particularly, 61. 1% of the isolates were multidrug resistance (MDR), 36. 1% of the isolates were extensively drug resistant, and 2. 8% of the isolates were Pan drug resistant. Moreover, the current study detected 24 multiple resistance patterns from 36 isolates of Campylobacter spp., and most of the isolates (27 out of 36) displayed an important route of resistance to Nalidixic acid, Ciprofloxacin, and Tetracycline. Based on the results, increased resistance rates to commonly used antibiotics in Campylobacter were recovered from poultry farms, LBMs, and local slaughterhouses. The majority of strains were MDR to commonly used antimicrobials with elevated MAR indices, requiring implementation of a national strategy to improve husbandry practice and the effective use of antibacterial agents, alternatives, and vaccines.