[Frequency of methicilin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains in clinical spacimens obtained from hospitalized patients in 2007].

INTRODUCTION

Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of both hospital- and community-acquired infections worldwide. Since the introduction of methicillin into clinical use, methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains have emerged with increasing frequency throughout the world. The aim of the study was to determine frequency of resistance to methicillin and other most commonly used antibiotics of S aureus strains isolated from hospitalized patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

During the period 1.1.-31. 12. 2007, 226 strains of S. aureus isolated from hospitalized patients were tested for their susceptibility to penicillin, methicillin, erythromycin, clindamycin, gentamycin, sulfamethoxazolle-trimethoprim, fusidic acid and vancomycin using disc diffusion technique.

RESULTS

Resistance to methicillin was detected in 20 (7.5%) S. aureus strains. All of them were susceptible to vancomycin. The resistance to other antimicrobial agents varied from 5% for sulfamethoxazolle-trimethoprim to 75% to gentamycin. Among methicillin susceptible strains, high resistance (84.1%) was found to penicillin only The resistance to other antimicrobial agents was low, ranging from 0 for fusidic acid and vancomycin to 12.2% for gentamycin.

CONCLUSION

Our results show low rate of methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains compared to other authors "findings, but also the presence of multidrug-resistant isolates and isolates susceptible to vancomycin only These facts suggest the need for further monitoring of susceptibility in order to take adequate measures to prevent and control spreading of resistant strains.