Abstract

BACKGROUND: Bacterial Toxin-Antitoxin (TAs) systems are extensive two-component elements in the bacterial genome, which involved in many key biological functions including growth arrest, survival, biofilm formation, plasmid maintenance, defense against phages, persistence and virulence. AIM: This study aimed to assess the molecular determinants involved in TAs, biofilm quorum sensing, and antibiotic resistance profiles in Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from Baghdad`s hospitals in Iraq. METHODS: A total of 127 A. baumannii isolates were collected from 2160 different clinical samples. The antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed using disk diffusion test. All isolates were characterized for molecular determinants involved in TAs and biofilm formation using the well-known PCR-based sequencing assay. RESULTS: A high multi-drug resistant (MDR) (96.06; 122/127 ) and imipenem resistance (84.25; 107/127 ) rates were observed from A.baumannii isolates. Results showed the presence of rhlIR gene in three isolates (2.36), and lasIR gene appeared in two isolates (1.57) isolates, whilst, mazEF, ccdAB, and relBE genes have not detected among isolates. CONCLUSION: A high MDR and imipenem resistance rates within a low prevalence of rhlIR, and lasIR genes could be found in clinical A. baumannii isolates from some of Iraqi hospitals.