exploring the genetic diversity and the association of drug resistance and biofilm production in acinetobacter baumannii strains isolated from burn wound infections

Background and objectives: acinetobacter baumannii is considered a troublesome cause of infection in burn units, where its capability to form biofilm and resist antibiotics significantly hampers therapeutic success. this study explored the correlations between antimicrobial resistance profiles, biofilm-producing capacity, and genetic diversity of a. baumannii strains from patients with burn wound infection in isfahan, iran.materials and methods: ninety-six isolates were analyzed for antibiotic resistance using the disk diffusion technique and for biofilm formation through the microtiter dish assay. the prevalence of ten biofilm-related genes was investigated using specific primers. clonal relatedness among bacterial strains was defined by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-polymerase chain reaction (eric-pcr).results: a vast majority of isolates (99%) exhibited resistance to meropenem, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, piperacillin-tazobactam, and imipenem, qualifying them as extensively drug-resistant (xdr). twenty-five percent of the strains were strong biofilm formers, while 68% demonstrated moderate or weak biofilm formation. the most commonly identified biofilm-related genes included bfmr (100%), ompa (100%), and bap (99%). a significant association was found between the production of biofilm, resistance to aminoglycosides, and the presence of csue and bap genes. eric-pcr typing showed the presence of 3 clonal types and 7 single types, with biofilm producers predominantly clustering to clonal type 2.conclusion: this work highlights a notable prevalence of biofilm-producing xdr a. baumannii in burn patients, underscoring the need for continuous surveillance and enhanced infection control strategies.