Antibiotic resistance pattern of Staphylococcus aureus with reference to MRSA isolates from pediatric patients

AIM: The extent of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in Nepalese children is largely unknown. MATERIALS & METHODS: Six hundred and seventy-two clinical samples collected from 232 patients between June and November 2016 were processed in a microbiology laboratory. RESULTS: Out of 300 culture-positive samples, 52 (17.3%) were S. aureus isolates. Among those 52, 39 (75.0%) were found to be MRSA. The infection rate of S. aureus was shown to be higher in inpatients (55.7%) compared with outpatients (44.3%) at p = 0.637, 95% CI. Thirteen types of antibiotics were used in the antibiotic susceptibility test. MRSA isolates showed 100 and 0% resistance to penicillin and vancomycin, respectively. The D-test showed inducible clindamycin-resistant phenotype in 15.4% of MRSA isolates. CONCLUSION: This demonstrates the utmost need for routine testing for MRSA in Nepalese hospitals.