Phenotypic Detection and Prevalence of Plasmid-Mediated and Inducible -Lactamases in Gram-Negative Uropathogens from Kano State, Nigeria

AmpC βlactamases inactivate cephamycin, cephalosporins, aminopenicillins, and monobactams; but are less inhibited by clavulanic acids. This study aimed to determine prevalence of Plasmid mediated AmpC and inducible AmpC producing Gram‑negative bacteria in urinary tract infected patients from Kano State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted from Febuary to July 2026 at three hospitals in Kano (Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Imamu Wali urology centre and Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano) Nigeria.Urine samples were collected from 422 urinary tract infection (UTI) patients. Bacteria were isolated and identified using cultural and biochemical techniques. Plasmid mediated AmpC and Inducible AmpC β-lactamases production were detected using AmpC disc test and disc antagonism test respectively. A total of 164 (38.9%) Gram-negative uropathogens were isolated from the study participants. The age groups of the study participants ranged from 4 to 80 years and comprised of 68 male and 98 female. The most frequently isolated Gram-negative uropathogen was Escherichia coli with total occurrence of 50 (30.5%) while the least occurring was Acinetobacter baumanni with 1(0.6%). Plasmid mediated AmpC and inducible AmpC β-lactamases were seen in 29 (18.0%) and 7 (4.3%) of the total isolates respectively. This research highlights the high prevalence of Plasmid mediated AmpC and inducible AmpC producing bacteria in urinary tract infection in Kano, Nigeria. The findings underscore the need for effective infection control measures.