INVESTIGATING THE ABILITY OF BIOFILM PRODUCTION IN MULTIDRUG-RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS STRAINS (MDR) ISOLATED FROM SKIN INFECTIONS IN QOM PROVINCE

Background and Aim:Biofilm formation is one of the pathogens that can cause Staphylococcus aureus bacteria to bind to different surfaces and also increase the antibiotic resistance. This study was performed to determine the ability of biofilm formation in multidrug-resistant (MDR) Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from skin infections in Qom province.Methods:In this study 148 patients who referred to Qom healthcare centers due to skin infections have been sampled. Using different methods of microbial diagnose, S. aureus strains were identified and isolated. Antibiotic resistance of Staphylococcus aureus isolates was investigated based on The CLSI instruction using Disk Diffusion method. The MDR strains were identified and biofilm production ability was evaluated by microplate method.Results:Of the 148 samples taken from patients including 85 women and 63 men, 67 Staphylococcus aureus strains (45.27%) were diagnosed. After the evaluation of antibiotic resistance of the strains, the highest resistance to penicillin and Cefoxitin (71.64%) and the lowest resistance to chloramphenicol (11.94%) were observed. 21 strains (31.34%) were isolated as multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains, all 21 strains were able to produce biofilms strongly.Conclusion:The ability to produce biofilms by bacteria can be one of the most important factors contributing to antibiotic resistance, which is a serious threat to the spread of hospital infections.