Prevalence of Carbapenemase Genes blaOXA-48, blaNDM, and blaIMP in Multidrug Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae Clinical Isolates from University Hospital Sharjah, UAE
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Background: Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae are globally recognized as priority pathogens due to their association with multidrug resistance and limited therapeutic options.Carbapenemase genes, such as bla OXA-48 , bla NDM , and bla IMP , play a central role in the dissemination of resistance. Methods and Results:This study investigated the prevalence and co-occurrence of these pathogens in 100 multidrug-resistant isolates collected from University Hospital Sharjah, between November 2024 and June 2025.PCR detection revealed bla OXA-48 as the most prevalent gene (66.7% in P. aeruginosa and 65.5% in K. pneumoniae), followed by bla IMP (44.4% and 38.2%), and bla NDM (15.6% and 23.6%).Co-occurrence of two or more genes was observed in over 30% of isolates, and a small proportion carried all three.Approximately one-quarter of isolates tested negative for these targets, indicating alternative mechanisms of carbapenem resistance.Conclusion: Our findings provide hospital-level molecular data from Sharjah that align with broader trends in the UAE, while highlighting the complexity of resistance-gene combinations.The results underscore the importance of ongoing molecular surveillance, monitoring of gene co-occurrence, and enhanced antimicrobial stewardship to mitigate the effects of multidrugresistant, Gram-negative infections.(InternationalJournal of Biomedicine.
Authors: Hassan El Sharief, Sara Mohamed Ali, Salsabeel Mohamed, Nours Abbas, Mera Maher, Praveen Kumar, Salma Elnour
Institutions: Gulf Medical University, University of Sharjah
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Medicine
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funder: Gulf Medical University
OpenAlex ID: W4417023277