Prevalence of bla(PenA) and bla(OXA) in Burkholderia pseudomallei Isolated from Patients at Sappasitthiprasong Hospital and Their Susceptibility to Ceftazidime and Carbapenems.

BACKGROUND

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a causative agent of melioidosis. Ceftazidime is the preferred drug of choice for treatment. However, the motility rate is high in endemic areas.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine the susceptibility tofour different antimicrobial agents and to detect the β-lactamase genes in B. pseudomallei isolates from patients admitted to Sappasitthiprasong Hospital.

MATERIAL AND METHOD: 85 B. pseudomallei isolates from patients admitted to Sappasitthiprasong Hospital between November 2010 and May 2011 were determined for antimicrobial susceptibility by standard disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for the detection of bla(penA) and bla(OXA) in β-lactamase genes.

RESULTS

Almost all of the clinical isolates ofB. pseudomallei were susceptible to ceftazidime and imipenem. Cefatzidime MIC was ≤ 1-16 μg/ml and imipenem MIC was ≤ 1-4 μg/ml. The real-time PCR revealed that more than 90% of B. pseudomallei isolates carried bla(PenA) and bla(OXA).

CONCLUSION

Although the clinical isolates of B. pseudomallei were susceptible to ceftazidime and imipenem, this study showed B. pseudomallei had a gene that produced beta-lactamase enzyme and may be poorly effective in the use of beta-lactam drugs.