Occurrence of high level methicillin resistance Staphylococcus aureus in patients from health facilities in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) has become a major public health predicament worldwide. This is owing to its involvement in the evolution of MDR strains and difficulty in therapeutic management of infected patients. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of methicillin resistance Staphylococcus aureus among patients in two health facilities in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Clinical isolates of patients from University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Uyo and General Hospital, Ikot Abasi (GHIA) were investigated based on the strategic location of the hospitals. The study design was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Three hundred clinical samples were collected from male and female in and out-patients of all ages and processed using standard bacteriological methods. Detection of Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA strains were done according to standard protocols while antibiotic susceptibility testing of MRSA isolates was conducted using Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method and interpreted following the CLSI 2021 guidelines. Results: The prevalence of MRSA strains in this study was 42.9%. Majority of patients with MRSA were from UUTH (44%) closely followed by patients from GHIA (40%). High antibiotics resistant rates of MRSA were recorded for ampicillin (96.6%), ciprofloxacin (73.3%), erythromycin (63.3%) and cotrimoxazole (60%). Gentamicin and ceftriaxone sensitivity rates were 53.3% and 63.4%, respectively. Conclusion: Health facilities in the state should institute effective antimicrobial stewardship, intensify surveillance and screening of Staphylococcus aureus for MRSA strains to guard against dissemination of multidrug resistant strains in both hospital and community settings because of the clinical implications.