PREVALENCE OF METHICILLIN-RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS (MRSA) IN CLINICAL SPECIMENS AND AMONG HOSPITAL STAFF NASAL CARRIERS IN KHARTOUM STATE

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacteria that causes a heavy epidemic disease burden worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and the presence of mecA gene as a virulence factor of S. aureus isolates from clinical isolates and hospital staff nasal carriers using a conventional PCR. A cross-sectional study involving eighty-one S. aureus isolates, 60 clinical isolates, and 21 nasal swabs from hospital staff was conducted from January 2018 to April 2018. The samples were processed using standard microbiological procedures. The antibiotic resistance pattern was performed using the Kirby- Bauer disc diffusion method for cefoxitin (30 μg), Oxacillin (5 μg), Gentamicin (10 µg), Ciprofloxacin (5 µg), amoxicillin-clavulanate (20 + 10 μg), fusidic acid (10 μg) and Vancomycin (30 µg) according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. The presence of the mecA gene in MRSA was detected by PCR. A total of 60 clinical samples were collected and analyzed; 42 (70%) resulted in Methicillin resistant and positive for mecA gene, and 18 (30%) isolates resulted in sensitive for Methicillin and negative for mecA presence. All samples from hospital staff were resistant for Methicillin and positive for mecA presence. The MRSA became resistant to methicillin due to an acquisition of the mecA gene. All isolated S. aureus strains among the hospital staff nasal carriers were MRSA may influence the spread of bacteria and increase the percentage of persistent nosocomial infections in hospitalized patients. More studies needed in order to understand the molecular characterization of MRSA in a setting better using different molecular typing tools.