Detection of aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates

2025-06-13T12:09:40+00:00

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that frequently causes infections in immunocompromised patients and is involved in outbreaks of hospital-acquired infections with a high mortality rate. Aminoglycosides are a large category of antibiotics that bind specifically to 16S rRNA in 30S ribosomal subunits and disturb protein translation. This antibiotic class plays a significant bactericidal role against a wide range of Gram-negative bacteria such as P. aeruginosa. Among different aminoglycoside resistance mechanisms, inactivation of drugs by plasmid-encoded aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes (AMEs) is a common determinant of aminoglycoside resistance in P. aeruginosa. These plasmids are spread worldwide, and they are transferred to a wide range of different species. This study aims to detect resistance mechanisms and identify the most prevalent aminoglycoside resistance genes in P. aeruginosa clinical isolates, collected from the University Clinical Centre Tuzla. This study included a total of 230 clinical P. aeruginosa isolates. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed using the disk diffusion method and the Vitek2 system. Isolates displaying increased MIC values for aminoglycoside antibiotics were included in the multiplex PCR reaction, for the detection of aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme genes. The most prevalent genotype among isolates was aac (6')-I. All aac (6')-I genotyped isolates also displayed a high rate of resistance to other classes of antibiotics, and they were characterized as multidrug-resistant (MDR) or extensively drug-resistant (XDR). Results indicate that the aminoglycoside-resistance genes are highly prevalent and could easily spread among P. aeruginosa strains.

Translational Insights into Cervical Cancer Screening: The Role of p16INK4a and Ki-67 in Early Detection

2025-10-01T08:16:45+00:00

Despite the global coverage of the early detection programs, cervical cancer is still one of the most common causes of death among women worldwide. The integration of Pap test in the healthcare systems worldwide has led to major advances in the diagnosis of premalignant changes in the cervix, although there are limitations regarding the sensitivity of the test. Due to the somewhat lower sensitivity and specificity of the Pap test, the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) (test has been adopted as the first-tier screening method. The further evaluation of the findings is followed by the various complementary techniques and methods to diagnose patients or quantify the risk of developing high-grade cervical intraepithelial lesions. These techniques are increasingly being investigated to provide specific and reliable final diagnosis and instruct the further treatment. This review summarizes the biological basis of p16 and Ki-67 expression, their correlation, and their diagnostic role in the triage of HPV-positive women. The analysis includes results from major clinical trials and meta-analyses, which demonstrate that dual immunostaining of p16/Ki-67 provides higher sensitivity for detecting CIN2+/CIN3+ compared to cytology alone, with an acceptable trade-off in specificity. In conclusion, dual staining represents a reliable complementary tool for the evaluation of abnormal cytological findings, improving early detection of cervical cancer and guiding the appropriate management and treatment of patients.

Genetics & Applications

Detection of aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates

Translational Insights into Cervical Cancer Screening: The Role of p16INK4a and Ki-67 in Early Detection