susceptibility patterns of methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus in Quetta, Balochistan

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted at Pathology Laboratory, Combined Military Hospital, Quetta to evaluate susceptibility patterns of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus areus [MRSA] to commonly used anti staphylococcus antimicrobials during the period April 1996 to November 2000. One hundred consecutive, non-duplicate strains of MRSA isolated from different clinical samples were identified by standard microbiological methodology. They were studied for their susceptibility to co-trimoxazole, erythromycin, tetracycline, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, fusidic acid and vancomycin by disc diffusion technique using modified Kirby-Bauer method. All the MRSA were sensitive to vancomycin. Four% strains revealed resistance to fusidic acid, 62% to chloramphenicol, 79% to ciprofloxacin, 80% to gentamicin, 88% to erythromycin 93 to tetracycline and 97% to co-trimoxazole. Most of the MRSA were multidrug resistant. These strains revealed higher degree of resistance [>60%] to routine anti-staphylococcus anti microbials. Vancomycin and fusidic acid could be life saving anti-staphylococcus antimicrobials in MRSA infections in Quettta