To determine antibiotic susceptibility pattern along with Methicillin Resistance in the isolated Staphyloccus aureus ? A study in Fathima Hospital

Background: Over the last four decades Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has spread throughout the world and has become highly endemic in many geographical areas. Materials and methods: Methicillin resistance was determined by 2 methods: Disk diffusion method using Oxacillin 1?g disk and MIC HiComb strips. Results: Out of 170 isolates 105 strains were Coagulase Positive and 65 strains Coagulase Negative Staphylococci. Most effective markers were Thermonuclease test and growth on high salt agar. 89 (84.76%) of the 105 isolates showed resistance to Penicillin, 54 (51.42%) to Amyoxyclav, 81 (77.14%) to Cefdinir, 61 (58.0%) to Cefepime, 86 (81.92%) to Gentamicin, 44 (41.9%) to Clindamycin, 40 (38.0%) to Amikacin, 82 (78.0%) to Erythromycin, 51 (48.57%) to Cotrimoxazole and 69 (65.71%) to Ofloxacin. Maximum resistance was seen for Penicillin and least to Amikacin. Oxacillin Disc diffusion method: Among 105 isolates 48 (45.7%) were susceptible to Oxacillin, 9 (8.57%) showed intermediate sensitivity and 48 (45.7%) were resistant to Oxacillin. MIC Determination by MIC HiComb strips: Among 105 isolates 59 (56.1%) showed MIC ? 2 ?g indicating susceptible strains and 46 (43.8%) isolates showed MIC 4 > ?g indicating Methicillin resistance. Conclusion: The antimicrobial resistance pattern in the present study gives serious reason for concern because majority of the strains are highly resistant to commonly available antibiotics. Surveillance studies should be carried out in every geographical area to detect the prevalence of MRSA strains and appropriate infection control measures should be performed. In conclusion, considering the increasing occurrence of MRSA infections, highly reliable, accurate and rapid testing for Methicillin Resistance is essential for both antibiotic therapy and infection control regimens.