Antimicrobial Resistance Pattern of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Strains Isolated from Clinical Specimens in Kathmandu, Nepal

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) refers to a group of Gram-positive bacteria that are genetically distinct from other strains of Staphylococcus aureus and is responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans. It constitutes the most severe contemporary challenges to the treatment of hospital-acquired infections Objective: This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of MRSA among clinical isolates of Methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus bacterium and determine the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from March to September 2018 at Everest Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal, in which 526 samples isolated from various clinical specimens. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) identified by using the Cefoxitin (30 μg) disc diffusion method followed by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI 2015) guidelines. Results: Most of the MRSA was isolated from pus, which collected from OPD patients. Antibiotic sensitivity pattern showed that all Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates were sensitive to vancomycin teicoplanin, linezolid, and none of the isolates were sensitive to antibiotic penicillin. At the end of the final observations, 33.8% of clinical samples were positive to S. aureus growth. Conclusion: In this study, the prevalence of MRSA isolates was less as compared to other studies routine screening of MRSA by cefoxitin disc and determining the complete antimicrobial susceptibility profile of these isolates to treat these infections effectively.