AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE ISOLATION AND DIAGNOSIS OF PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA FROM WOUNDS AND BURNS: ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE AND THE EFFECT OF PLANT EXTRACTS

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is primarily associated with nosocomial infections in immunocompromised patients, the elderly, and the indwelling of catheters and ventilators, raising a serious public health dilemma. As per the WHO records, it has listed priority pathogens for antimicrobial resistance promoting research and development consideration among the 12 families of bacteria. It has a remarkable capacity to evade host immune mechanisms and resist a variety of antibiotics, being capable of producing a large number of virulence factors. Consequently, the effectiveness of multiple antibiotics is lost in human infections caused by it. The phenomena of biofilm formation, horizontal transfer of plasmids, modification of target sites and outer membrane permeability, production of antibiotic-inactivating enzymes, and efflux pumps confer multidrug resistance in this organism. Phytochemicals of plants produce both bactericidal and bacteriostatic effects that could be utilized as better remedies for infection control. The studies conducted have shown the efficacy of Zingiber officinalis, Azadirachta indica, Curcuma longa, and Allium sativum tubers and bulbs against P. aeruginosa.