Emerging Patterns of Meropenem Resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa from Burn Patients: Epidemiological Data from Central Iraq

Abstract

Infected burns are among the most serious clinical cases with high mortality rates, especially when infected with multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in burns significantly contributes to the high mortality associated with bacterial burn infections. This study aimed to conduct a bio-surveillance of burn cases infected with P. aeruginosa and their resistance to meropenem. A total of 305 burn cases were examined, with samples collected from the burn and wound hospital in Baghdad. Of these, 180 samples came from skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) associated with systemic sepsis, 100 from SSTIs, and 25 from minor burn injuries. P. aeruginosa was isolated and identified using biochemical methods. The Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method was used to assess the response of the bacterial isolates to meropenem. Results showed that out of 82 P. aeruginosa infection cases. The percentage of isolates resistant to meropenem was 62.19%, sensitive was 34.14%, and those with intermediate response was 3.6%. The highest resistance to meropenem was observed in SSTIs with systemic sepsis. The study concludes that the incidence of P. aeruginosa infection is high, and resistance to meropenem is correlated with the severity of the infection.