Biofilm Production and Porin Permeability Activity in Clinical Isolates of Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in the Tertiary Hospital in Purwokerto, Indonesia

Abstract

World Health Organization reports that the current use of ciprofloxacin as a broad-spectrum antibiotic shows a pattern of high bacterial resistance in many countries. Klebsiella pneumoniae is known as a Gram-negative bacterium that most often causes infection and is resistant to antibiotics. This study aimed to find patterns of resistance mechanisms based on biofilm production and porin permeability activity in K. pneumoniae clinical specimens from patients at RSUD Prof. Dr Margono Soekardjo Purwokerto, Indonesia. Several isolates of ciprofloxacin-resistant K. pneumoniae were isolated from clinical specimens of blood, sputum, urine, pus, stool and pleural fluid from August to October 2022. Identification and sensitivity testing of K. pneumoniae to ciprofloxacin were performed using Vitek® 2 Compact. A test for biofilm production is carried out by measuring optical density (OD) with a microplate at a wavelength of 630 nm. The porin permeability activity was determined using the value of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by the LC-MS spectrophotometry method at a wavelength of 630 nm. The results showed that 72 (47 %) isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin. Among them, 41.3 % (24/58) of ciprofloxacin-resistant K. pneumoniae were able to produce strong biofilm. Porin permeability is indicated by MIC values of 1, 2 and 4 mg/L with bacterial cell counts of 32×106, 19×106 and 34×106 CFU/mL, respectively. This number decreased from the initial control with a bacterial cell count of 10.15×107 CFU/mL. Analysis of the correlation between the significance of biofilm production and the number of bacterial cells indicated that biofilm formation was related to the number of bacterial cells (R = 0.628, p ≤ 0.05). In conclusion, the resistance mechanism of ciprofloxacin-resistant K. pneumoniae involves biofilm production and decreased porin permeability activity. HIGHLIGHTS Major resistance mechanisms in pneumoniae decreased cell permeability from porin activity and biofilm formation Bacterial outer membrane permeability to antimicrobial substances influences inherent resistance. Bacteria produce biofilm to increase their resistance to antibiotics. Porins are non-specific diffusion transport proteins that play a part in the antibiotic resistance process The evolutionary development in the case of antibiotic resistance has an impact on the emergence of understanding in new perspective patterns on how to overcome health problems related to antibiotic resistance GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT