Enhanced Detection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) & Effect of some Local Agents on them

Abstract

MRSA infection continues to be a substantial global problem with significant associated morbidity and mortality. It is a growing problem as it contributes in a high rate of nosocomial infections, also in community acquired ones. Colonization with MRSA is the most important risk factor for developing MRSA infections. Most colonized individuals do not develop infections but they act as a reservoir for developing infection. Therefore, for infection control purposes, colonization is as important as infection. The conventional method for MRSA identification is accurate but slow which needs 48 hrs., so we have to use another method which is rapid and accurate for rapid intervention and treatment. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the use of the Chromogenic agar medium as a rapid method taking only 24 hrs. for detection of MRSA from clinical specimens and nasal swabs in comparison to the conventional method which needs 48 hrs.

In this study, Ninety-five samples were collected; 70 of them were exudates or pus from patients admitted for wound and burn infections attending at intensive care units of surgery department & burn units of Ain Shams University Hospitals during the period from April 2015 to January2016. The rest were 25 nasal swabs collected from health care personnel of these Units. They were 56 males and 39 females. Their mean age was 39.2 years old. Specimen collection and identification was done by conventional bacteriological methods as well as chromogenic screening agar. From conventional culture and susceptibility results 30 isolates of Staphylococcus aureus (27 MRSA and 3 MSSA isolates) and 18 CoNS isolates were identified from wound and burn discharge. But for the nasal swabs; five MRSA and 12 CoNS isolates were identified from 25 health care personnel working at ICU of surgery hospital.