ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOFILM FORMING MULTIPLE DRUG-RESISTANT BACTERIA FROM PATIENTS INFECTED WITH UTI

Biofilms are protective organic extracellular polymeric substances secreted by a microbial population which prevents the penetration of antimicrobial substances such as antibiotics. The existence of biofilms has become a significant problem in the case of infections as well as industrial processes. Although, biofilms may act as an advantage to the microbial community, they are found to cause food spoilage, unpleasant odors, pipe blockage, infections, etc. Biofilms play a crucial role in causing persistent UTIs which undergo frequent relapses, seen most commonly in women, children and aging adults. In the present investigation, bacterial samples isolated from UTI samples of infected patients were characterized. The capacity of the UTI isolates to form biofilms is analyzed using biofilm assay done by subjection of samples to primary and secondary screening by ELISA plate reader. Further on, N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL), an autoinducer responsible for the formation of biofilms in gram-negative bacteria was extracted and estimated colorimetrically and spectroscopically by using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The AHL that was extracted showed a characteristic absorbance for C==O bond of lactone ring, and N==H and C—O bond of acyl chain analyzed from graphs obtained by FT-IR.