THE DISTRIBUTION OF METHICILLIN RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS ISOLATED AT THE NAMIBIA INSTITUTE OF PATHOLOGY IN WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a public health problem worldwide which is growing uncontrollably. MRSA are isolates of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) that have acquired genes encoding antibiotic resistance to all beta lactam antibiotics including methicillin. However, the term has increasingly been used to refer to multidrug resistant S. aureus. The study aimed to determine the distribution of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from clinical specimens analysed at Namibia Institute of Pathology (NIP), Windhoek, Namibia. Archived S. aureus sample records from the year 2010 to 2014 were retrieved from the Laboratory Information System (LIS). Data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 and results were presented in cross tabulations.A total of 3727 S.aureus isolates were isolated from 2012 to 2014. MRSA was identified in 13.6% of S.aureus isolates. It was higher among subjects >30 to ?50 years of age (45.5%), followed by subjects aged ?30 years (36.6%). The frequency of MRSA was higher among males (53.9%) than females (46.1%). MRSA isolation was higher from sputum samples (41.3%), followed by pus swabs (35.0%) and blood culture samples (5.9%). Hospitalized subjects had more MRSA isolated from them (65.4%) than non-hospitalized subjects (34.6%). MRSA was high from the spinal cord injury ward (19.7%), followed by ICU (18.3%) and Surgery wards (13.5%). MRSA infections were high among subjects of >30 to ?50 years of age. Hospitalized subjects had the highest MRSA infection rate with spinal cord injury ward having the highest number of cases. Males were the most affected group by MRSA. MRSA was high from sputum samples compared to other samples.