Staphylococcus aureus is one of the commonest causes of community acquired and nosocomial infections, and methicillin‑resistant strains are increasingly being reported worldwide. This study was carried out to evaluate the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Methicillin‑resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), isolated from clinical specimens from a tertiary care hospital. The study comprised of 370 strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from various clinical specimens using standard microbiological procedures. From these isolates, methicillin resistant strains were screened, and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern was detected according to CLSI 2017 guidelines. Out of 370 isolates, 140 (37.83%) were found to be methicillin resistant. In this study, vancomycin and linezolid were found to be the only drugs to which all the methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates were susceptible. However, vancomycin intermediate and linezolid resistant strains has been reported in some studies. Therefore, all the recommended measures to control the emergence and spread of these strains must be followed strictly in all health care systems.

Keywords: MRSA, prevalence, antibiotic susceptibility.

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Dr Rajkumar Balkrishna Meshram

Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College and Hospital, Nagpur, India

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