EIGHT NOVEL BACTERIAL SPECIES FROM CLINICAL INFECTIONS IN IRAQ: PHENOTYPIC, PHYLOGENETIC AND ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE CHARACTERIZATION

Abstract

Bacterial diversification and their antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major clinical challenge worldwide. However, strain diversity and resistance patterns in regions with limited genomic surveillance remain critically under-characterized. This study aimed to identify and characterize unrecorded bacterial species circulating in clinical infections in Iraq. Swab samples were obtained from wounds-associated infections (i.e., burns, surgical, bed sores, blood, sputum and diabetic foot infections) in three hospitals of Erbil region, Iraq. Bacterial strains isolated from these samples underwent phenotypic identification, biochemical analyses and hemolytic activity testing. Phylogenetic characterization was performed using neighbor-joining approach based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing. AMR susceptibility was evaluated with a comprehensive set of antibiotic agents. A total of 84 clinical samples were obtained from 50 patients. Among the 21 identified species, eight were newly reported in Iraqi clinical samples. These include Providencia huaxiensis, Pseudomonas beijingensis, Proteus columbae, Proteus faecis, Proteus myxofaciens, Escherichia albertii, Pseudescherichia vulneris, and Thiopseudomonas alkaliphila. Importantly, majority of these species illustrated multidrug resistant phenotypes, with significant resistance to an extensive set of antibiotic agents (except for amikacin). This study provides the first comprehensive characterization- phenotypic, phylogenetic, and AMR- of eight novel bacterial species in Iraq, indicating a substantial and previously under-recognized diversity. This study may have important implications for bacterial surveillance and subsequent treatment.