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. Thesediverse clinical samples were collected over a three-month period, from October 2023 to December 2023, fromseveral 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 tractinfections (UTIs). All isolates were cultured on nutrient agar, MacConkey agar, and blood agar, and theiridentities were confirmed through biochemical testing and the Vitek 2 compact system. Based on phenotypicvirulence factors, the S. marcescens isolates showed varying positive patterns: 32 out of 35 (91.42%) forprotease production, 35 out of 35 (100%) for motility, 27 out of 35 (77.14%) for hemolysin production, and 22out of 35 (62.85%) for Prodigiosin pigment production. The susceptibility of the S. marcescens isolates to twocarbapenem antibiotics (Imipenem and Meropenem) was evaluated using the disk diffusion method. Thesensitivity 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 fromsoil, demonstrated significant activity against S. marcescens at varying concentrations. Many of these fungalmetabolites exhibited potent anti-disease efficacy, and se