A Comparative Study of Proteus Prevalence in the Animal-Origin Foods and Iraqi Patients

Abstract

Proteus mirabilis is an opportunistic pathogenic bacterium related to different infectious diseases in humans, particularly urinary tract infections (UTIs). This study aimed to compare P. mirabilis isolates from two source animal-origin foods and Iraqi patients to shed light on this zoonotic microbe. One hundred specimens were obtained from urine of patients who had UTIs and one hundred specimens were collected from animal-origin foods. All samples were cultured on selective and differential culture media, and confirmed by VITEK-2 compact system therefor antimicrobial susceptibility test and multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Thirty-five P. mirabilis isolates were obtained via more accurate diagnostic methods, such as the VITEK compact system, and conformed via polymerase chain reaction. All isolates revealed 100% resistance rates to Carbenicillin and Cephalexin. Urease ( ureA ) and hemolysin ( hpmA ) genes showed detection results: ureA existence percentage was 18 (90%), whereas hpmA was 17 (85%) of urine isolates and ureA was 14 (93%) and also hpmA was 7 (46.6%) of chicken meat isolates. According to the current study analysis, P. mirabilis bacteria responsible for UTIs are widely distributed in clinical specimens, and these isolates are on the contrary to food-origin isolates, which carry the hpmA gene.