The increasing prevalence of multidrug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in bedsore infections and evaluates propolis as a potential adjunct therapeutic agent

Background: Bed sores are skin lesions caused by prolonged pressure, typically over bony areas. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a dangerous bacterium known for its rapid mutations and drug resistance. This article aims to analyze the antibacterial properties of propolis, a longstanding medicinal phytocompound. Methods: The study examined 100 clinical samples from patients with bed sores, identifying clinical isolates through Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology. The antibiotic sensitivity of these bacteria was tested using the NCCLS antimicrobial disc susceptibility test via disc diffusion. Additionally, different concentrations of propolis were evaluated for their antibacterial properties. Results: The study analyzed samples from 43 females and 57 males, finding that P. aeruginosa represents 37.68% of Gram-negative bacilli, while Gram-positive cocci account for 31.0% and Gram-negative bacilli 69.0%. The sensitivity rates for antibiotics against P. aeruginosa were identified as 61.5% for ofloxacin, 53.8% for norfloxacin, and 30.7% for amikacin, with complete resistance to cephalexin, cefotaxime sodium, cefoperazone, and penicillin. A highly significant difference was noted between MIC and MBC for ofloxacin (p<0.01 HS), and a significant difference for norfloxacin (p<0.05 S). At 100 mg/ml, the sensitivity rates for propolis against P. aeruginosa showed the biggest inhibitory zones; propolis also showed a highly significant difference (p<0.01 HS). Both ofloxacin and propolis showed a synergistic effect against P. aeruginosa. Conclusions: Propolis demonstrates antibacterial activity and this study explores strategies to combat antibiotic resistance, emphasizing the need for further structural analysis of propolis's bioactivity to aid in the development of new antibiotics.