Antimicrobial Resistance in Pseudomonas Aeruginosa : Trends and Mechanisms

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a leading opportunistic Gram-negative pathogen of clinical significance. It causes severe infections in patients with underlying diseases including cancer, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, deliberate immunosuppression, and major surgery leading to mortality. The bacterium colonizes implanted devices, catheters, heart valves, ventilators or dental implants resulting in device-associated hospital acquired infections which are of global major concern. Its high prevalence in developing countries and resource-limited parts of the world as well as different parts of developed countries owes much to its battery of virulence factors as well as to its high resistance to antimicrobial and various chemical agents. Much evidence on its prominence and emergence as a life threatening pathogen is attributed to its high intrinsic and acquired resistance to different classes of antimicrobial agents including those most recently discovered antipseudomonal agents. The resistance rates are increasing on a global scale and pose a serious therapeutic concern. The current study investigated the trends and resistance mechanisms of this pathogens to different antimicrobial agents.