Evaluation of drug resistance pattern and frequency of ipaH gene in Shigella strains isolated from patients referred to hospitals in Tabriz city in 2019

Abstract Original Research Background and Aim : Today, one of the most important barriers to controlling shigellosis is its resistance to common types of antibiotics. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the drug resistance and frequency of ipaH genes in Shigella strains isolated from patients referred to hospitals in Tabriz city. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 100 Shigella specimens were identified from patients referred to Tabriz hospitals using agglutination method with specific antiserum on slides. The pattern of antibiotic resistance was evaluated by disk diffusion method. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to identify the ipaH gene. Results: In this study, 56 cases of Shigella flexneri (56%), 37 cases of Shigella sonei (37%) and 7 cases of Shigella boydii (7%) were observed, but there was no Shigella dysenteriae. The highest resistance was seen to tetracycline and cotrimoxazole. The presence of ipaH gene was confirmed in all strains. Conclusion: In this study, the prevalence of Shigella flexneri strains is higher than other species. The studied strains showed high sensitivity to third generation cephalosporins and aminoglycosides. The study of ipaH virulence gene showed that this gene can be used as a marker for rapid identification of Shigella species.

Shigella, PCR, antibiotic resistance, ipaH gene