Susceptibility and molecular characterization of mec A- and mec B-positive community acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates from students

Staphylococcus aureus is an organism of great public health importance. It is widely studied because it is virulent, causes life threatening disease and has ability to adapt to diverse environmental conditions and so develops resistance to antibiotics easily. As a result, there is a need for surveillance of its antibiotic resistance and resistance genes. The susceptibility and molecular characterization of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus recovered from urine samples of healthy students were undertaken. Standard procedures were employed for isolation, identification, susceptibility, and polymerase chain reaction analyses. Out of 217 samples collected, 73 were confirmed Staphylococcus aureus. Most of the isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin and vancomycin followed by gentamicin and co-trimoxazole and least susceptible to penicillin, cefotaxime, ofloxacin and cefoxitin. Thirty-two (32) isolates were resistant to 5 antibiotics while 3 isolates were resistant to the 11 antibiotics used in this study. Sixteen phenotypically methicillin resistant isolates contained mecA gene while ten of the isolates also showed the presence of mecB gene. The characteristic Sa442 and nuc genes of Staphylococcus aureus and the presence of spa gene confirmed MRSA. Continous surveillance for antibiotic resistance and resistance genes is paramount at local, regional and national levels. Surveillance data will assist in implementing interventions. Keywords: Antibiotic resistance; Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, mecA, mecB, CA-MRSA; Surveillance