Assessment of the Agglutination Test for the Identification of Staphylococcus Aureus Isolates

Background: Staphylococcus aureus are among the most important and several pathogens in human infections. Objectives: The objectives of this study are to evaluate the efficacy of the agglutination test in the detection of Staphylococcus aureus in the laboratory and to identify the factors associated with staphylococcal infections. Methods: It is a prospective study of 100 isolates of staphylococci in a period of nine months from May 2021 to January 2022 in the University Hospital of Befelatanana. Results: Among of the 100 isolates of staphylococci, 49 (49%) were represented by Staphylococcus aureus. Concerning the prediction performance of the agglutination test, it has a sensitivity of 93.8%, a specificity of 100%, a positive predictive value of 100% and a negative predictive value of 94.7%. Concerning the associated factors, the men (63%) (p=0.002), the patients aged 40 to 59 years (63%) (p=0.3; NS) and with suppuration (75%) (p=0.004) were the most affected by Staphylococcus aureus. Moreover, Staphylococcus aureus was often identified in pus samples (72.4%) (p=0.0009). Conclusion: In brief, agglutination test is a good test and can replace the standard gold test for the detection of Staphylococcus aureus.