Prevalence and genotypic distribution of virulence factor genes and antibiotic susceptibility profiles in clinical Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from a public hospital in Nanyang, China

Pseudomonas aeruginosa remains a critical global health concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, owing to its high carriage of diverse virulence factor genes (VFGs) and multidrug resistance. Here, we analyzed the prevalence and genotype distribution of VFGs in P. aeruginosa isolated from Nanyang Central Hospital (NYCH), China, along with their antibiotic susceptibility profiles. The study involved 79 multidrug-resistant (MDR) and 96 non-MDR (nMDR) strains and the following 11 key VFGs ( nan1 , pilA , aprA , phzS , plcH , toxA , lasB , exoS , exoU , exoT , exoY ). Antibiogram profiling showed near-universal resistance to at least one antibiotic class. MDR strains exhibited 23 distinct antibiotic resistance patterns, compared with 13 patterns in nMDR strains. A moderate negative correlation was observed between β-lactams/β-lactamase inhibitors and fluoroquinolone resistance. Moreover, statistical analysis revealed that the phzS gene displayed the most significant prevalence difference between MDR and nMDR subgroups ( P < 0.001). Finally, 28 distinct genotypes were identified in nMDR isolates, and 26 genotypes appeared in MDR strains. There was a statistically significant correlation found between the presence of genotype XX (r = 0.481, P < 0.001) and genotype XXVIII (r = −0.320, P < 0.001) in two subgroups. Collectively, our findings provide data support for understanding the pathogenic mechanism of local P. aeruginosa , and are of great significance for guiding clinical anti-infection treatment and infection control.