Prevalence of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)‎ and their susceptibility patterns in a tertiary-care university children's hospital in Mansoura

Abstract EN

Background : Nosocomial infections are major problem worldwide today and considered as important health threat to hospitalized patients with a considerable hospital resources are being wasted on prevention of such infections.

Staphylococcus aureus (S.

aureus) remains the most frequently isolated pathogen in both community and hospital practices.

Aims : To determine the prevalence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections and their in vitro susceptibility patterns to various antimicrobial agents in a tertiary referral children's hospital, located in Mansoura.

Methods: We have conducted a prospective study in Mansoura University Children's Hospital.

All collected samples were inoculated onto blood agar plates.

Enrolled patients were classified into 2 groups according to the source of specimens collected, hospital inpatients group and hospital outpatients group.

Identification of S.

aureus was confirmed by standard methods and antimicrobial susceptibility testing performed by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method.

The methicillin resistance was confirmed by detection of mecA gene performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Results : During the study period a total of 260 S.

aureus strains were isolated from various clinical samples.

Methicillin resistant S.

aureus strains were detected in 58 (22.

3%) isolates with almost 70.

7 % were isolated from hospital inpatient group.

Strains from surgical specimens constituted more than 65.5% of all isolates.

Resistance patterns of Cefotaxime, Amoxycillin / Clavulanate, Gentamicin and Amikacin were significantly higher among hospital inpatients' isolates when compared to outpatients' isolates (P=0.01, 0.02, 0.04 and 0.05 respectively).

All MRSA isolates were fully sensitive to Vancomycin.

The overall prevalence of MRSA for hospital inpatients among isolated S.

aureus strains was 15.8 %, whereas the prevalence among outpatients was 6.

5 %.

Conclusion: The study has shown that prevatence of MRSA in Mansoura University Children's Hospital was comparable to the prevalence reported in developed countries.

A worrying observation of high prevalence of community-acquired MRSA was reported.

Implementation of infection control measures may help in limiting the spread of MRSA in the hospital setting.

An antibiotic policy and the monitoring of susceptibility patterns of MRSA may also help in decreasing the prevalence of MRSA and the emergence of antibiotic resistance.