Proteomic characteristics of resistant Proteus species in women with urinary tract infections in Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Authors

  • M. H. Muhammad
    Department of Microbiology, University Teaching Hospital, Lafia, Nigeria.
  • O. O. Orole
    Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
  • J. F. Nfongeh
    Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
  • E. S. Audu
    Department of Medical Microbiology, Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.
  • F. Gbadeyan
    Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.

Keywords:

Multidrug resistance, Virulence, Plasmids, Outer membrane proteins, Bacteriuria

Abstract

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) represent a recurring clinical challenge, primarily due to escalating pathogen resistance. Although Proteus species are not the most commonly isolated pathogens in UTIs, they typically exhibit high levels of resistance when present. This study investigated the proteomic profiles of resistance and virulence determinants in Proteus species isolated from women with UTIs in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Urine samples were collected from 368 patients, from which Proteus isolates were identified and evaluated for resistance and virulence factors. Proteomic characteristics were determined following growth in Luria–Bertani (LB) broth and artificial urine (AU). Ten Proteus isolates, comprising four P. vulgaris and six P. mirabilis, were obtained from 21 urine samples exhibiting significant bacteriuria. Both species were found to harbor adhesion (20 kb) and hemolysin (30 kb and 50 kb) plasmids. Identified resistance elements included an ESBL plasmid (40 kb and 80 kb), a conjugative R-plasmid (50 kb), and a multidrug conjugative plasmid (200 kb). The outer membrane vesicle (OMV) yield ranged from 89.5-137μg/mL for P. vulgaris and 97.6-140μg/mL for P. mirabilis. The OMVs exhibited a unimodal size distribution, with average diameters ranging from 70 nm to 180 nm. Recovered outer membrane-associated proteins included outer membrane protein A (OmpA), porins (OmpC and OmpF), flagellin structural proteins (FliC and FlgE), lipoproteins (Lpp and Pal), and proteases (DegP and HtrA). Notably, P. mirabilis cultured in AU was enriched with virulence-related proteins, such as urease subunits (UreA, UreB, and UreC) and fimbrial adhesion proteins. This study confirms the complex nature of virulence and resistance factors in Proteus species, which significantly contribute to treatment failure in patients. 0.45μm

Dimensions

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Average zeta potential comparison of OMV from both media

Published

2026-05-20

How to Cite

Proteomic characteristics of resistant Proteus species in women with urinary tract infections in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. (2026). African Scientific Reports, 5(2), 456. https://doi.org/10.46481/asr.2026.5.2.456

Issue

Volume 5, Issue 2, August 2026

Section

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES SECTION
Copyright & Licensing

Copyright (c) 2026 M. H. Muhammad, O. O. Orole, J. F. Nfongeh, E. S. Audu, F. Gbadeyan

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Proteomic characteristics of resistant Proteus species in women with urinary tract infections in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. (2026). African Scientific Reports, 5(2), 456. https://doi.org/10.46481/asr.2026.5.2.456

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