Frequency of fimH, magA and rmpA Genes among Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates in Hospitalized Patients in Babol, Iran

Background and Objective: Klebsiella pneumoniae is known as one of the opportunistic pathogens. The prevalence of antibiotic resistance, emergence of multidrug resistant strains, and multiple virulence factors contribute to the development of various infections. In this regard, the aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of fimH, magA, and rmpA genes among Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in hospitalized patients from Babol, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 65 Klebsiella pneumoniae strains were collected. In the present study, antibiotic resistance pattern was performed using disc diffusion method. After DNA extraction by a commercial kit, the frequency of magA, fimH, and rmpA genes was evaluated by polymerase chain reaction. Results: A total of 65 strains was collected from Rouhani (n=42) and Shahid Beheshti (n=23) Hospitals. Based on the antibiogram pattern, the highest resistance rate belonged to erythromycin (61.5%) and cefotaxime (60%) and the lowest resistance rates belonged to imipenem (0%) and ofloxacin (16.9%). Furthermore, in the molecular method, the frequency of fimH and rmpA genes was reported 86.1% and 10.8%, respectively. It should be noted that none of the strains harbored the magA gene. Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, antibiotic resistance and multidrug resistance strains among Klebsiella pneumoniae strains are increasing. On the other hand, the presence of some virulence factors can play a significant role in the development of resistant strains.