Detection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Associated Resistance Genes in Hospital Acquired Infections
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31580/gf8pa973Keywords:
Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus; MRSA; hospital acquired infections; antimicrobial resistance; resistance genes; mecA; multidrug resistance; PCRAbstract
Background: The prevalence of multidrug-resistant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the primary causes of hospital-acquired infections worldwide and is a significant public health problem, further complicated by resistance genes like mecA, mecC and erm genes. Determine if MRSA is present and investigate the presence of the associated antimicrobial resistance genes in individuals with hospital acquired infections. Methods: Cross sectional study made in laboratory involving 120 clinical samples from the patients who were diagnosed as HAI. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated and identified from wound swabs, pus, blood, and urine using standard microbiological methods. Detection of MRSA was done by cefoxitin disc diffusion. The antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed on commonly used antibiotics according to CLSI guidelines. PCR was used for molecular detection of resistance genes such as mecA, mecC, ermA, ermC, tetK and vanA. SPSS-26.0 software was used to statistically evaluate the data, and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Out of 120 samples processed, 74 (61.7%) were positive for Staphylococcus aureus. Among these, 45 (60.8%) were confirmed as MRSA. The highest percentage of MRSA isolates (40.0%) was found in wound swab specimens. MRSA isolates were all resistant to penicillin and oxacillin and very high rates of resistance to erythromycin 34 (75.6%) and ciprofloxacin 29 (64.4%). The mecA gene was present in 41 (91.1%) of MRSA isolates while ermC was found in 24 (53.3%) and ermA in 19 (42.2%). There was a significant correlation between mecA positivity and multidrug resistance (p=0.012). Vancomycin and linezolid were the most active agents, with most isolates being susceptible. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that MRSA and related resistance genes are prevalent in HAIs, especially in patients in the ICUs and surgical wards.
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