Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Wound Swabs of Patients Attending a Public Hospital in Warri Delta State, Nigeria

Aim: This study was carried out to isolate, identify and determining the prevalence of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus from wound swabs of patients attending a public hospital in Warri, Delta state.

Study Design: An experimental design.

Place and Duration of Study: The initial aspect of the work was carried out in public hospital Warri while the second phase was carried out in the medical microbiology laboratory of the University of Port Harcourt.

Methodology: A total of one hundred (100) wound swab samples were collected from patients in four (4) wards in a public hospital in Warri Delta state Nigeria. Samples were collected from male medical ward (MMW), male surgical ward (MSW), female medical ward (FMW) and female surgical ward (FSW). Sixty-eight (68) samples were from males and thirty-two (32) from females. The samples were evaluated using Mannitol salt agar and Oxoid BrillianceTM MRSA agar. The isolates were identified using morphology, colour indication, Gram reaction and biochemical tests. Antibiotic sensitivity was carried out using Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method.

Results: The study showed that 52 samples had significant growth of Staphylococcus aureus while 48 had no significant growth of the same bacteria. Nineteen (19) out of the fifty-two were confirmed to be MRSA. Erythromycin was found to be the most sensitive drug after the antibiotics sensitivity test while cloxacillin and cefuroxime showed the highest resistance using Kirby Bauer' disc diffusion technique. This study showed that the prevalence of MRSA in the public hospital studied is 19%.