PREVALENCE AND ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY PATTERN OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS ISOLATED FROM BLOOD SAMPLES OF ICUS PATIENTS

Introduction: Bloodstream infections (BSI) refer to the presence of microorganisms in blood, which constitute one of the most serious situations among infectious diseases; as they are a threat to every organ in the body. Septicemia is a condition in which bacteria circulate and actively multiply in the bloodstream and may produce their products (e.g. toxins) that cause harm to the host Similarly, the presence of viruses, parasites and fungi in blood can be described as ‘viremia’, ‘parasitemia’ and ‘fungemia’ respectively. Material and Method: This study was conducted over two years, during which 3,145 BSI suspected patients’ blood culture samples were analyzed using the Bact/Alert 3D automated system. Staphylococcus aureus isolates were initially identified based on colony morphology and Gram stain followed by final confirmation and antimicrobial susceptibility testing by Vitek 2 Compact system, employing GP and P628 cards. Result: In our study, out of 3,145 patients blood samples 315(10.01%) samples showed growth on culture media. Out of 315 culture positive samples 61 (19.36%) was identified as S. aureus. Prevalence of S. aureus bacteremia was recorded as 1.93%. S. aureus isolates were highly sensitive to teicoplanin, doxycycline, minocycline (100%), vancomycin, tigecycline (96.72%), linezolid (91.80%), and rifampicin (90.16%). However, they showed resistance to benzylpenicillin (100%), oxacillin (96.72%), ciprofloxacin (90.17%), levofloxacin (86.89%), erythromycin (67.22%) and cotrimoxazole (57.38%). Conclusion: The most effective antimicrobial agent against S. aureus was teicoplanin, doxycycline, minocycline, and vancomycin. For antibiotics utilized both inside and outside of hospital settings, we advise a strict drug policy, regular surveillance of hospital-related infections and monitoring of antibiotic sensitivity patterns. The guidelines from the National Centre of Disease Control (NCDC) for the appropriate use of antibiotics should be followed.