Methicillin resistance among Staphylococcus aureus isolates from Saudi hospitals

Objective: To determine the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains among clinical isolates collected from the 4 tertiary hospitals in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, and to test the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of S. aureus isolates against 9 antimicrobial agents. Materials and Methods: A total of 512 S. aureus clinical isolates were collected during a period of 1 year starting in April 2003 in Al-Noor, King Abdul-Aziz, Hera and King Faisal Hospitals, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The sensitivity patterns of these isolates were determined using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Results: The prevalence of MRSA among S. aureus isolates was 38.9% (199/512). Among 199 MRSA isolates, 78.8% showed multidrug resistance to erythromycin, gentamicin and oxytetracycline. Conclusion: The rate of MRSA resistance in this study was much higher than what had been reported in other areas of Saudi Arabia emphasizing the need for local or country-based surveillance to characterize and monitor MRSA and to develop strategies that will improve MRSA treatment and control. Copyright (C) 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel.