Molecular Characterization of Multi-drug Resistant Streptococcus pyogenes and Its Eradication Using Essential Oil of Zingiber officinale as a Natural Antimicrobial Agent

Abstract

M ULTIDRUG-resistant (MDR) Streptococcus pyogenes is implicated in a variety of diseases. S. pyogenes has been found to produce novel enzymes to break down antibiotics more than most other bacteria. This study aimed to detect and to identify S. pyogenes in some clinical samples by serotyping method especially multidrug resistant S. pyogenes with detection and sequencing of meF and ermB genes responsible for Macrolide resistance, parC gene responsible for Quinelone resistance and folP gene responsible for Sulfonamide resistance and using essential oil of Ginger (Zingiber officinale) as a natural treatment agent for MDR S. pyogenes strains. S. pyogenes was detected in 60/120 throat and blood samples (50.0%). 36/60 samples were found to be multidrug resistant. Men were more likely infected than women. The results indicated that 52.8% of S. pyogenes isolates harbored meF gene, 72.2% harbored ermB gene, 100.0% harbored parC gene and 100.0% harbored folP gene while 25% of them harbored the four genes. The sequencing alignment of meF, ermB, parC and folP genes showed some mutations in the four genes ranged between inversion mutation in meF gene, substitution mutation in ermB and parC genes and deletion and inversion mutations in folP gene. Zingiber officinale essential oil was analysed by GC-MS which illustrated that 17-Octadecynoic acid was the most common ingredient with percentage of 48.27%. 20µg/ml was found to be the minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC).