Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among patients in a teaching hospital in Ghana

Abstract

Aim: This study determined the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and assessed the resistance profiles of strains. Materials and Methods: Inpatients and outpatients of all age groups presenting with sepsis as well as skin and soft tissue infections were screened from October 2006 to March 2007. Resistance to methicillin (oxacillin) and other relevant antibiotics was determined by the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MICs) by the E-test (AB, Biodisk, Solna, Sweden). Results: Methicillin resistance was 34.8% (87/250), majority (67/87) of which were hospital acquired MRSA. Resistance was 100% to the β-lactams, 78.2% to cotrimoxazole, 75.8% to tetracycline, 59.8% to gentamicin, 56.3% to flucloxacillin, 34.4% to erythromycin, and 32.2% to cefuroxime. MIC ranged from 4-256, 0.125-256, 0.064-32, and 1.5-32, respectively, to oxacillin, gentamicin, cotrimoxazole, and ceftriaxone. Conclusion: Prevalence of MRSA is high in Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, and routine surveillance should be put in place to monitor the epidemiology of this pathogen.