Research Article Multidrug Resistance Tracing by Plasmid Profile Analysis and the Curing of Bacteria from Different Clinical Specimens Ebele L. Okoye , Christian Kemakolam , Emmanuel T. Ugwuoji , and Ifeoma Ogbonna Department of Applied Microbiology and Brewing, Faculty of Biosciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, P.M.B. 5025, Awka, Anambra, Nigeria Correspondence should be addressed to Emmanuel T. Ugwuoji; et.ugwuoji@unizik.edu.ng Received 9 August 2022; Revised 22 September 2022; Accepted 2 October 2022; Published 11 October 2022 Academic Editor: Jiong Yu Copyright © 2022 Ebele L. Okoye et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Human-pathogenic bacteria resistant to one or multiple antibiotics have dramatically increased worldwide in the past decades. These bacteria possess great danger, have become a global issue, and it is now impossible to avoid developing strategies for the restoration of treatment options against infections caused by them. This research aims at profiling plasmids of multidrug- resistant bacteria from various clinical specimens such as ear exudate, sputum, urethral swab, wound swab, urine from the catheter, urine, nasal swab, high vaginal swab, stool, eye swab, and blood at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria. Our investigation used the agar diffusion method for susceptibility tests and identification of multidrug-resistant bacteria before plasmid extraction and gel electrophoresis. A plasmid curing test was performed with 10% sodium dodecyl sulphate. Of the 860 bacteria whose resistance profile was determined, only 42 were multidrug-resistant. These bacteria include Pseudomonas aeruginosa 16 (38.10%), Staphylococcus aureus 12 (28.57%), Escherichia coli 9 (21.43%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae 5(11.90%). The molecular weight of their plasmids ranges between 20.884 kbp and 187.50 kbp. As indicated by the plasmid bands, some bacteria had similar molecular weight while others had no plasmid. The bacterial pattern of the postcuring sensitivity test showed that the bacteria with plasmid bands were cured as they became susceptible to the drugs they were previously resistant to, while the bacteria without plasmid bands remained resistant to the antibiotics. This implies that the latter’s multidrug resistance is nonplasmid mediated. Our analyses highlight the relationship between plasmids and multidrug resistance as well as the role of plasmids in the transmission of drug resistance across bacteria. Thus, in order to lessen the burden that multidrug-resistant bacteria cause and to improve bacterial infections treatments, there should be continued surveillance and periodic research on antibiotic resistance patterns of bacteria from various clinical settings. 1. Introduction The multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria have continually posed severe global health challenges over the years [1]. When an organism simultaneously evades the effects of numerous antimicrobial medications from distinct chemical classes or subclasses through multiple methods, it is referred to as being multidrug-resistant [2]. Numerous bacterial species that were isolated from various clinical specimens displayed one or more antimicrobial agent resistance strategies [3–6]. Either or both mechanisms may cause multidrug resis- tance in bacteria. First, these bacteria may amass a number of genes, each of which codes for drug resistance within a cell. This buildup typically takes place on resistance (R) plas- mids. Second, increased gene expression for multidrug efflux pumps, which ejects a wide range of medicines, may results in multidrug resistance. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can transmit copies of the DNA that specify a defence mecha- nism to other bacteria, even closely related species. These other bacteria can then pass the resistant genes on, creating Hindawi Advanced Gut & Microbiome Research Volume 2022, Article ID 3170342, 12 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/3170342