Characterization of Proteus mirabilis Isolated from Patient Wounds at Bolan Medical Complex Hospital, Quetta

Background: Wound infection is the cause of mortality and morbidity on a global scale. Microorganisms infecting wounds can multiply and colonize in the wound, resulting in host tissue damage. Objectives: The present study was conducted to identify Proteus mirabilis in wounds of patients in Quetta district. Methods: This study was conducted from June 2017 to June 2018 at the Center for Advanced Studies in Vaccinology and Biotechnology, University of Balochistan, Quetta. Overall, 480 different wound samples were collected from patients admitted to Bolan Medical Complex Hospital, Quetta. Proteus mirabilis was isolated using differential and selective media and characterized by biochemical tests (catalase, oxidase, IMViC, and sugar fermentation), antimicrobial susceptibility tests, and PCR. Results: There were 64 (13.3%) samples positive and 416 (86.6%) samples negative for P. mirabilis. The results showed that wounds infected with P. mirabilis were more common in male patients (n = 40; 8.3%) than in female patients (n = 24, 5%). The age distribution showed that the infection of wounds with P. mirabilis was the highest in 16 - 30-year-old group (n = 32; 6.70%), followed by the age groups of 5 - 15 (n = 24; 5%) and 30 - 50 years (n = 8; 1.60%). Diabetic (n = 24; 5%) and surgical (n = 24; 5%) wounds were more affected by P. mirabilis than burn wounds (n = 16; 3.30%). Proteus mirabilis was sensitive to gentamicin (n = 50; 78%) and amikacin (n = 53; 82.8%) but resistant to penicillin G (n = 58; 90%), ampicillin (n = 56; 87.5%), amoxicillin (n = 60; 93.7%), cefuroxime (n = 61; 95.3%), ceftriaxone (n = 57; 89%), ceftazidime (n = 59; 92.1%), imipenem (n = 62; 96.8%), ciprofloxacin (n = 55; 85.9%), and tetracycline (n = 59; 92%). The PCR-based identification of P. mirabilis showed clear bands of 533 bp of the ureC1 gene. Conclusions: The pathogenesis of P. mirabilis in wound infection and its antimicrobial sensitivity are major problems worldwide. The use of aminoglycosides such as gentamycin and amikacin is effective against P. mirabilis and can help prevent the spread of infection and reduce the cost of treatment. The PCR technique is one of the sensitive, timesaving, specific, and cost-effective ways for the identification of the pathogenic genes of P. mirabilis.