A Glimpse of the Burden and Antibiotic Pattern of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus in a Tertiary Care Centre

OBJECTIVE: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most important pathogens and a major cause of morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study is to investigate the burden of MRSA and their resistance to different antistaphylococcal antibiotics. MATERIAL & METHODS: A hospital-based study was carried out for a period of 2 years (January 2023 – December 2024) in the Microbiology department of Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, Jorhat, Assam, India where MRSA strains were isolated from various clinical specimens and drug resistance patterns analysed. RESULTS: 1261 Staphylococcus aureus strains were isolated from various clinical samples. Of 1261 isolates, 981 (77.80%) were found to be methicillin-resistant. Maximum isolation of MRSA was from pus (48.42%), followed by blood (32.82%), urine (6.32%), high vaginal swab (5.20%), wound swab (3.46%), sputum (1.12%), aural swab (1.12%), endotracheal tube (0.81%), pleural fluid (0.51%), soft tissue (0.51%), synovial fluid (0.41%), central line catheter (0.30%), peritoneal fluid (0.10%), ascitic fluid (0.10%) and CSF (0.41%). In MRSA isolates, 14.67% showed constitutive resistance, 2.54% showed inducible MLSB resistance and 42.91% showed MS phenotype. None of the MRSA isolates was found to be sensitive to penicillin. CONCLUSION: Standard monitoring of antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of MRSA and infection control practices are essential in order to control their spread in the hospital setting and the community. Keywords: Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, hospital infections, antimicrobial susceptibility pattern