A master’s thesis at the College of Science, University of Karbala, investigated antibiotic resistance genes isolated from certain pathogenic bacterial species and assessed the effects of partially characterized probiotic bacteria.

The study, conducted by student Ghufran Karim Abd from the Biology Department , aimed to explore natural alternatives for combating antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria.

The research involved isolating four types of pathogenic bacteria and lactic acid bacteria from natural milk and locally-made dairy products. Diagnostic and molecular tests were performed, as well as antagonistic testing of lactic acid bacteria against pathogenic bacteria.

The study concluded that certain pathogenic bacteria carry multiple genes encoding antibiotic resistance, while lactic acid bacteria were unable to inhibit the pathogenic bacteria individually, through filtrates, or synergistically in pair combinations.

The study recommended using synergistic combinations of lactic acid bacteria in vivo to observe biological transfer, as well as isolating lactic acid bacteria from sources other than dairy, such as pickles or soil, to study their potential biological effectiveness against pathogens or to test other types of pathogenic bacteria.