Abstract
Methods: One hundred seventy clinical samples were collected from patients with different clinical conditions hospitalized in the Surgery Departments. Samples were processed and isolates were identified using standard microbiological procedures. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using disc diffusion method, according to the standard procedures of CLSI, using oxacillin and 5 aminoglycosides – kanamycin, tobramycin, gentamicin, amikacin and netilmicin. A multiplex PCR assay was used to identify AMEsencoding genes. Results: A total of 81 (47.6%) S. aureus strains were isolated. Forty-three (53.1%) of them were methicillin-resistant (MRSA). Thirty-one (38.3%) isolates were resistant to at least one of the tested aminoglycosides, and the highest incidence of resistance was to kanamycin (38.3%), followed by tobramycin (30.9%), gentamicin (29.6%), amikacin (9.9%) and finally netilmicin (8.6%). Multiplex PCR assay revealed the aac(6')-Ie+aph (2) gene encoding the bifunctional AME to be the most common, followed by the ant(4')-Ia encoding the ANT (4')-Ia enzyme, then the aph (3')-IIIa gene encoding the APH(3')-IIIa enzyme. A statistically significant agreement (p 0.001) was found between resistance to methicillin and the presence of AMEs genes. The highest level of significance was for aac(6')-Ie+aph (2) gene, followed by ant(4')-Ia, and finally, aph (3')-IIIa. Conclusion: Staphylococcus aureus is highly prevalent in our Surgery Departments, with high resistance to methicillin and aminoglycosides. The most prevalent gene of AMEs is aac(6')-Ie+aph (2) encoding for the bifunctional enzyme. We recommend continued surveillance of the bacteriological flora in that Department, as well as monitoring the presence of the genes encoding aminoglycoside resistance that may be produced within the S. aureus population. This will help to develop effective strategies for control and prevention.
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