The most typical bacterial species that may be associated with infections of the eye are Staphylococcus because they normally reside on the skin and eyelid margins; therefore, an easy transmission to the eye can take place whenever there is a lesion or abrasion. Apart from this, these bacteria have several virulence factors among which include adhesin and biofilm forming capacity which enhance their resistance against treatment. In addition, mecA gene carries resistance determinant against methicillin as well as many other β-lactam antibiotics. The current study was designed to characterize the factors and molecular mechanisms that facilitate pathogenicity and therapeutic resistance in these bacteria. A total of one hundred samples were obtained from patients who had visited Samarra General Hospital during the period extending from October 2024 to December 2024. As per the results of culture, all isolates were Gram-positive, and forty-nine belonged to the genus Staphylococcus. Amongst these, Staphylococcus aureus was the major species followed by Staphylococcus epidermidis and some other isolates. All isolates showed 100% resistance to Methicillin. They were sensitive to Vancomycin. Other antibiotics expressed variable sensitivity patterns among the isolates. The five isolates that expressed the highest levels of antibiotic resistance were selected, and one was excluded during analysis. All the remaining isolates, being coagulase-negative staphylococci , were tested for mecA, icaA , and tetK genes. The molecular results showed that all four tested isolates carried the mecA gene (100%), and only one isolate carried the icaA and tetK genes, hence its high level of antibiotic resistance.
Nada et al. (Mon,) studied this question.