Prevalence and Molecular Characterization of Gram Positive Bacteria Isolated from Autistic Children in Erbil City

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurological condition that affects communication, behavioral abilities, social interaction, and subsequent appearance of repeated behavior. The fundamental etiology is still unknown; but genetic and environmental variables are important. From September to December 2024, 131 (117 males and 14 females) different clinical samples were collected from autistic patient in different centers in Erbil, Iraq. Among the isolates, 22(16.79%) were identified as Gram-positive bacteria (GPB) by Gram-staining, biochemical tests and conventional (PCR) method using the 16S rRNA gene. These sequences were submitted to the NCBI website, and accession numbers were acquired for all 22 isolates. Notably, according to NCBI, the species of Corynebacterium hindlerae is firstly recorded in Iraq. On the other hand, Staphylococcus equorum is first recorded in wound swabs, and Streptococcus parasanguinis is first recorded in dental swabs. Furthermore, Staphylococcus simulans is first recorded in urine samples. Moreover, the results showed that Staphylococcus spp. was the predominant bacterial species identified, with the highest number of S. aureus comprising 12(54.55%) isolates. The highest percentage of GPB was isolated from dental swabs 12(54.54%), with the highest isolation obtained in children aged 6 to 10 years. The antibiotic resistance test was applied to determine the resistance of isolated bacteria against 14 antibiotics. Findings showed that S. aureus showed highly resistant to most studied antibiotics, otherwise S.simulans showed the most sensitivity to used antibiotics. Most of the isolates have shown resistance to Erythromycin and Ampicillin. Conversely, Meropenem, Imipenem, and Vancomycin had 100% activity rates, indicating they are the most effective antibiotics.