Abstract

Introduction: Staphylococci are the normal inhabitants of human skin and mucous membranes. Staphylococci play a,role in bacteremia, endocarditis, urinary tract infection, surgical site infections, and so on. Methicillin-resistant,Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is prevalent worldwide and is an important cause of nosocomial infections, resulting in an,increased morbidity and mortality in the hospital settings worldwide.,
Objective: To know the prevalence of MRSA among hospitalized patients and to guide in minimizing the spread of,systemic or deep MRSA infections in high-risk patients, such as those in the intensive care unit (ICU) or other key,clinical area,
Materials and Methods: This study was carried out in the Department of Microbiology in BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad.,Various clinical samples sent for culture sensitivity examination were collected over a period of 6 months from June to,November 2012. Staphylococcus was identified using standard methods. Then, methicillin-resistant strains were identified,by using screening and confirmatory techniques recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI).,Data were collected, and the prevalence was estimated.,Result: We collected a total of 5,046 samples, and Staphylococcus were identified from 232 samples. Of the 232 samples,containing S. aureus recovered from the different clinical samples, 20.25% (47) of them were found to be methicillin,resistant.,Conclusion: The health-care institutions face constant and evermore problems, because of MRSA. Minimizing the,emergence of this organism and its spread remain to be the challenges that need to be addressed. A regular surveillance,of hospital-associated infections is mandatory.