Isolation and Identification of Bacterial Pathogens from Clinical Samples of Patients with Tonsillitis in the Holy City of Karbala

Abstract Background: The drug resistance characteristic of bacteria is one of the most important health problems in world countries. The indiscriminate use of antibiotics without consulting a doctor and for an inappropriate period can lead to high antibiotic resistance of bacteria. In addition, one of the ways to resist bacteria is their ability to produce biofilms. Objectives: The study aimed to isolate and identify pathogenic bacteria from clinical samples of patients with tonsillitis in the holy city of Karbala and investigate their resistance to common antibiotics and the relationship of this trait with their ability to build biofilm. Materials and Methods: Samples were taken from patients with tonsillitis in the holy city of Karbala, and the obtained isolates were diagnosed by biochemical tests and subjected to antibiotic sensitivity tests by the disc-diffusion method. The VITEK-2 compact system confirmed identification and antibiotic sensitivity. Biofilm building of some selected isolates was tested using microplate assay. Results: From 128 swabs, 120 bacterial isolates were obtained, including Staphylococcus spp with 19 isolates and Klebsiella pneumoniae with 18 isolates. The rest of the numbers included genera Streptococcus spp, Escherichia coli , Enterobacter spp, and Pseudomonas spp. All isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and K. pneumoniae were multidrug resistant. And that many of them had a strong ability to build a biofilm. Conclusion: Staphylococcus aureus and K. pneumonia are among the main causes of tonsillitis for the patients under study. These pathogens are multi-drug resistant, and there is a highly significant relationship between that resistance and the ability of these pathogens to produce a biofilm.