Biofilm production and antibiotic resistance profiles of coagulase-negative Staphylococci isolated from hospitalized patients

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) have emerged as significant opportunistic pathogens, particularly in hospital settings where they are increasingly implicated in healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Biofilm formation and colonization on medical devices represents a pivotal determinant in the pathogenesis of CoNS infections, allowing them to adhere to both biotic and abiotic surfaces, evade immune responses and withstand antimicrobial treatments. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of biofilm formation among CoNS and examine its impact on antibiotic resistance using a modified microtiter plate method in clinical samples. Our findings reveal a 100% prevalence of biofilm formation among CoNS isolates, with strong biofilm in 43.33% of strains, moderate biofilm in 20%, and weak biofilm in the remainder. Among the strong biofilm-producing strains, 92.31% exhibited the MRCoNS resistance phenotype and 79.92% showed the cMLSb resistance phenotype. These results illustrate the growing threat posed by biofilm-forming CoNS to modern medicine and highlight the urgent need to develop advanced methods for combating biofilm-producing bacteria