Detection of Antimicrobial Activity of Aspergillus terreus Against Clinical Isolates of Serratia marcescens

Abstract

Out of a total of fifty samples, thirty-five isolates were identified as Serratia marcescens. These diverse clinical samples were collected over a three-month period, from October 2023 to December 2023, from several hospitals in Baghdad, including Fatima Al-Zahraa Hospital, Al-Sader Hospital, Ibn Al-Balady Hospital, and Al-Imam Ali Hospital. The clinical samples primarily included urine from patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs). All isolates were cultured on nutrient agar, MacConkey agar, and blood agar, and their identities were confirmed through biochemical testing and the Vitek 2 compact system. Based on phenotypic virulence factors, the S. marcescens isolates showed varying positive patterns: 32 out of 35 (91.42%) for protease production, 35 out of 35 (100%) for motility, 27 out of 35 (77.14%) for hemolysin production, and 22 out of 35 (62.85%) for Prodigiosin pigment production. The susceptibility of the S. marcescens isolates to two carbapenem antibiotics (Imipenem and Meropenem) was evaluated using the disk diffusion method. The sensitivity tests revealed high resistance to both IPM and MEM, with resistance rates of 34.28% (12 isolates) and 42.85% (15 isolates), respectively. A bioactive compound extracted from Aspergillus terreus, isolated from soil, demonstrated significant activity against S. marcescens at varying concentrations. Many of these fungal metabolites exhibited potent anti-disease efficacy, and se

Keywords

• Multidrug resistance
• Carbapenem
• Virulence factors

References

1. Mohammed, M.K., Ali, A.M., & Albaayit, S.F.A. (2025). Detection of antimicrobial activity of Aspergillus terreus against clinical isolates of Serratia marcescens. The Eurasia Proceedings of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (EPSTEM), 34, 93-101.