Comparison of Virulence-Factor-Encoding Genes and Genotype Distribution amongst Clinical Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strains.

is an opportunistic pathogen encoding several virulence factors in its genome, which is well-known for its ability to cause severe and life-threatening infections, particularly among cystic fibrosis patients. The organism is also a major cause of nosocomial infections, mainly affecting patients with immune deficiencies and burn wounds, ventilator-assisted patients, and patients affected by other malignancies. The extensively reported emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains poses additional challenges to the management of infections. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence rates of selected virulence-factor-encoding genes and the genotype distribution amongst clinical multidrug-sensitive (MDS) and MDR strains. The study involved 74 MDS and 57 MDR strains and the following virulence-factor-encoding genes: , , , , , and . The genotype distribution, with respect to the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of the strains, was also analyzed. The and genes were present amongst several strains, including all the MDR , suggesting that their presence might be used as a marker for diagnostic purposes. A wide variety of genotype distributions were observed among the investigated isolates, with the MDS and MDR strains exhibiting, respectively, 18 and 9 distinct profiles. A higher prevalence of genes determining the virulence factors in the MDR strains was observed in this study, but more research is needed on the prevalence and expression levels of these genes in additional MDR strains.