Nosocomial Infections Due to Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus in Hospitalized Patients

Objective: This study was carried out to find out the extent of MRSA in hospitalized patients in Military Hospital Rawalpindi. Methodology: It is a prospective cross sectional descriptive study based on the records of admitted patients in Military Hospital Rawalpindi during June 2005 to September 2005. Non-consecutive non-duplicate clinical isolates of MRSA, isolated from different clinical samples of pus, pus swab, tissue, body fluids, blood, sputum, urine, catheter tips were included in the study. Clinical specimens were cultured on Blood and MacConkey agar for 24-48 hours at 37°C. Staphylococcus aureus isolates were identified by colony morphology, catalase, coagulase and DNase tests. Methicillin resistance was identified by modified Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion technique using 1μg oxacillin disk and confirmed by oxacillin screen agar test according to NCCLS guidelines. Results: Out of 238 non-duplicate staphylococcal isolates recovered from different clinical samples of pus, tissue, body fluids, blood, sputum, urine and catheter tips. One hundred (42.01%) were found to be MRSA. MRSA were most frequently isolated from pus, pus swab, blood and urine. Conclusion: The high frequency of MRSA in our study reflects a compromise in the state of aseptic techniques such as hand washing, use of gown and masks, isolation of MRSA patients, sterilization and disinfection. It also demands institution of effective infection control policies.