PREVALENCE OF THE UREC AND HPMAGENES IN PROTEUS MIRABILIS ISOLATED FROM URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS IN IRAQ

Background: Proteus mirabilis is one of the most important pathogens causing urinary tract infections (UTIs) and harbours multiple virulence factors, including urease and hemolysin produced by the ureC and hpmA genes, respectively. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the distribution of ureC and hpmA genes in a collection of P. mirabilis isolates recovered from patients with UTIs, and to correlate their presence against antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. Methods: This study has been conducted a cross-sectional research design; from August of 2024 to the beginning of December 2025. A total of 78 P. mirabilis isolates were obtained from urine specimens from patients diagnosed with UTIs supported by clinically and microbiologically confirmed results. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed against ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, gentamicin, ceftriaxone, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and amikacin using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Molecular identification of ureC and hpmA genes was performed by conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as described previously.