Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus antibiotic susceptibility profile and associated factors among hospitalized patients at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia

INTRODUCTION: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of hospital-acquired infection, which is difficult to treat because of antibiotic resistance. There is scant data on MRSA from southern parts of Ethiopia. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of MRSA nasal carriage, antibiotic susceptibility profiles, and associated factors among hospitalized patients attending Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (HUCSH), Hawassa, Ethiopia. METHODS: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from December 11, 2019 to February 15, 2020. Background and clinical data were captured by an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Nasal swabs were collected aseptically and inoculated onto mannitol salt agar and sheep blood agar, which was incubated for 24 hours at 37°C. S. aureus was confirmed using standard bacteriological methods. MRSA was identified using the cefoxitin Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. RESULTS: Of the 280 included hospitalized patients, 38 (13.6%) were colonized with S. aureus. The prevalence of MRSA carriage was 9.3% (95% CI 6.1‒12.2). Twenty-six (68.4%) of the S. aureus isolates were methicillin resistant. Participants with a monthly income > 4000 Ethiopian Birr were four times more likely to be colonized with MRSA (p = 0.022). A high proportion of patients with a history of admission to the surgical ward was colonized with MRSA. Over 10% of MRSA isolates were resistant to all antibiotics except clindamycin and erythromycin. Of the 26 MRSA isolates, 88.5% showed multidrug resistance. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of MRSA was relatively high among hospitalized patients at HUCSH. Factors such as weight and monthly income were significantly associated with the occurrence of MRSA.