Methicillin Resistance among <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> Isolates from Saudi Hospitals

Vol. 15, No. 1, 2006

Free Abstract Article (References) Article (PDF 97 KB)

Original Paper

Methicillin Resistance among Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Saudi Hospitals
Atif H. Asghar^a, Aiman M. Momenah^b

^aDepartment of Environmental and Health Research, The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Institute of Hajj Research, and
^bDepartment of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences and Medicine, University of Um Al-Qura, Makkah, Saudi Arabia

Address of Corresponding Author

Med Princ Pract 2006;15:52-55 (DOI: 10.1159/000089386)

Key Words

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Antimicrobial resistance
Nosocomial infection

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains among clinical isolates collected from the 4 tertiary hospitals in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, and to test the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of S. aureus isolates against 9 antimicrobial agents. Materials and Methods: A total of 512 S. aureus clinical isolates were collected during a period of 1 year starting in April 2003 in Al-Noor, King Abdul-Aziz, Hera and King Faisal Hospitals, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The sensitivity patterns of these isolates were determined using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Results: The prevalence of MRSA among S. aureus isolates was 38.9% (199/512). Among 199 MRSA isolates, 78.8% showed multidrug resistance to erythromycin, gentamicin and oxytetracycline. Conclusion: The rate of MRSA resistance in this study was much higher than what had been reported in other areas of Saudi Arabia emphasizing the need for local or country-based surveillance to characterize and monitor MRSA and to develop strategies that will improve MRSA treatment and control.

Author Contacts

Dr. Aiman M. Momenah
PO Box 6630
Makkah (Saudi Arabia)
Tel. +966 503501449, Fax +966 25270000, ext. 7111
E-Mail aiman34@hotmail.com

Article Information

Received: December 12, 2004
Revised: June 8, 2005
Number of Print Pages : 4
Number of Figures : 0, Number of Tables : 2, Number of References : 25

Medline Abstract (ID 16340228)

Download Citation

Cited In

This journal is part of the second subject package of the Karger

Journal Archive Collection

Information on packages (PDF)
Free sample issues

For non-native English speakers and international authors who would like assistance with their writing before submission, we suggest American Journal Experts for their scientific editing service.