Prevalence of MRSA Containing SCCmec Types Isolated from a Tertiary Care Hospital, Rawalpindi

With the changes in epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), accurate information on the scope and magnitude of MRSA infections is needed. This study was conducted to investigate the SCCmec types among MRSA strains collected from a hospital in Rawalpindi. Non-duplicate isolates of Staphylococci were isolated (n=28) from pus specimens (n=100). All strains were tested for methicillin resistance using Cefoxitin disc (30 g) on Muller-Hinton agar. The phenotypically confirmed isolates (n=22) were screened for the presence of mecA, nuc genes and SCCmec types through multiplex PCR. Both mecA and nuc genes were detected in all Staphylococcus aureus strains, whereas, two SCCmec types III and I were detected in (77.27%) and (31.81%) of isolates, respectively along with subtypes. Antimicrobial susceptibility revealed Vancomycin as the most effective drug against all clinical isolates of MRSA. It is concluded that prevalence of MRSA is quite high in and around Rawalpindi area and thus requires necessary interventions for its effective treatment and control.