Detection of Oxacillin (Methicillin)-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from a Tertiary-care Hospital, Georgetown, Guyana

Background and Aim: Methicillin-resistant Staphylocccus aureus (MRSA) continues to be a major problem globally. Previous data had suggested that the prevalence of MRSA infections in the tertiary hospital setting was 51%. The aim of this study was to conduct a point prevalence survey of MRSA infections occurring at a tertiary-care hospital in Georgetown, Guyana, and to determine to what extent methicillin-resistance was occurring among Staphylococcus aureus isolates utilising the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) data.

Study Design: This study was based on a prospective, analytical design.

Place and Duration of Study: Microbiology department, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), and Department of Medical Technology, University of Guyana, between May 2019 and July 2019.

Methodology: A total of 101 consecutive, non-repetitive, laboratory-identified MRSA and methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) isolates were tested using an oxacillin broth microdilution method.

Results: We found that 65.4% of Staphylococcus aureus were oxacillin (methicillin) resistant with a majority of the isolates being high level oxacillin resistant strains (i.e., MICs > 256 μg/ml) (84.85%). Most of the resistant isolates were collected from patients admitted to medical and surgical wards. Conclusion: Methicillin-resistance continues to be a major problem in the hospital setting and conventional techniques are unlikely to identify all of the potentially resistant isolates.