title: Detection of Antiseptic-Resistance Genes in Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter spp. Isolated From Burn Patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC), which contain benzalkonium chloride as the most widely used agent, are employed as wound and skin antiseptics, as well as disinfectants in hospitals. The resistance mechanism to disinfectants is usually determine by genes which are related to resistance to quaternary ammonium compounds, namely, qacE, qacΔE1, qacΔE1 that are found in Gram-negative bacteria.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of antiseptic resistance genes, qacE and qacΔE1, in clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter bumanii.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, 83 clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and 5 isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii from burn hospitals in Tehran and Isfahan provinces in 2010-2011, were tested by the PCR method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of the 83 clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 49 isolates (50%) had the qacE gene, and 76 isolates (91.5%) had the qacΔE1 gene. In addition, in 5 isolates of Acinetobacter bumanii, 2 isolates (40%) had the qacE gene, and 4 isolates (80%) had the qacΔE1 gene.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that the genes which harbored resistance to quaternary ammonium compound antiseptics are widespread among Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter bumanii isolates in burn patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammadreza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mahzounieh
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Sheida
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khoshnood
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Azizollah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ebrahimi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Saeid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Habibian
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yaghoubian
keywords: Acinetobacter; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds