Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus from healthcare and community associated sources

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important nosocomial pathogen. We report the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of MRSA in Amravati; Maharashtra state (India). A total of 150 healthcare-associated (HA) sources (doctors mobiles phone and wound/pus swabs); and 160 community-associated (CA) sources (hand swab) were screened for MRSA and their antibiotic resistance pattern was performed. Out of 41 isolated strains of S. aureus; 77from HA and 50CA samples were found to be methicillin resistant. There were high prevalence of MRSA in doctor's mobile phone (83) and wound/pus (71) (HA sources) than the hand swab. Almost all HA and CA MRSA strains were resistant to penicillin and penicillin V (100) followed by cloxacillin and cephalexin; co-trimoxazole. About 56 - 67HA and CA-MRSA strains were resistance to erythromycin; ceftazidime; lincomycin; ceftazidime; cephalexin; erythromycin and tetracycline indicating high degree of multi-resistance MRSA prevalence in the region. However; 67strains of CA and 56strains of HA were sensitive to vancomycin. The study showed high prevalence of MRSA in hospital setting indicating need of good control measures such as proper hand hygiene; avoiding mobile phone while wound dressing and treating patient; surveillance cultures and monitoring of susceptibility patterns of MRSA may also help in arresting the spread of infections in this part of India

Outbreak of kala-azar in Bombay.

A chance diagnosis of kala-azar in a patient referred from Acworth Leprosy Home in Bombay was followed up, resulting in an investigation of a total of 25 patients (inpatients and residents) for the presence of the disease. 30.3% of the patients investigated were found to be suffering from the disease. This confirms the earlier suspicion that Bombay and especially the Acworth Leprosy Home is an endemic area for kala-azar.