MOLECULAR DETECTION OF BLAOXA-23 GENES IN ACINETOBACTER BAUMANNII ISOLATED FROM URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS IN IRAQI PATIENTS

This study aimed to identify risk factors for urinary tract infections (UTIs) among hospitalized patients in Iraq, with a particular focus on antibiotic-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates, and to determine the presence of virulence factors and resistance genes, especially blaOXA-23. A total of 250 clinical urine samples from UTI patients were collected, and bacterial identification was performed using conventional microbiological techniques. Antibiotic susceptibility testing and PCR analysis for virulence genes were conducted, along with biofilm formation assays and sequencing. A. baumannii was isolated from 20% (50/250) of the samples, with all isolates exhibiting Gram-negative coccobacilli morphology and typical biochemical characteristics. PCR confirmed the presence of the blaOXA-23 gene in all isolates. Most beta-lactam antibiotics had resistance rates above 95%, and imipenem had resistance rates as high as 60%. However, 95% of the isolates were still sensitive to colistin. Biofilm formation was detected in 72% of isolates, with 22% demonstrating strong biofilm-forming capacity. These findings reveal a high prevalence of multidrug resistance and virulence traits in A. baumannii isolates from UTI patients in Iraq, emphasizing the need for urgent infection control interventions and the development of targeted therapeutic strategies.