Prevalence of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Northern India

AIM: The emergence of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has posed a serious therapeutic challenge. We report the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of MRSA in the hospitals attached to GMC, Amritsar, Punjab. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study comprised of 250 coagulase-positive staphylococci (COPS) isolated from a total of 6743 clinical specimens (like pus, blood, urine, high vaginal swab, sputum, etc.) of patients admitted in hospitals attached to Government Medical College, Amritsar from January 2008–February 2009. Routine antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed and interpreted as per standard guidelines. Methicillin resistance was detected using oxacillin and cefoxitin disc diffusion method, oxacillin screen agar method, and minimum inhibitory concentration using broth macrodilution method. RESULTS: A total of 115 (46%) strains were found to be methicillin resistant. Multidrug resistance was observed in 73% MRSA strains. However, no strain was resistant to vancomycin. CONCLUSION: Regular surveillance of hospital-associated infection and monitoring of antibiotic sensitivity pattern is required to reduce MRSA prevalence.