Study of Antibiotic Sensitivity Pattern of Staphylococcus aureus and Comparison of Cefoxitin and Oxacillin Discs for Detection of MRSA in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Staphylococcus aureus has the ability to asymptomatically colonize the normal population either persistently or transiently. 30% of humans are likely to be nasal carriers. Person to person contact or contact with fomites plays a role in its transmission. Loss of normal skin barrier and presence of predisposing factors such as diabetes and HIV complicates infection. Staphylococcus aureus causes human infections such as furuncles, cellulitis, abscesses, toxic Shock syndrome, Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome, endocarditis, pneumonia and septicemia. Penicillin was the drug of choice to which Staphylococcus aureus developed resistance by producing the enzyme beta lactamase and hence Methicillin was introduced in 1959. In spite of this, MRSA appeared and was rapidly spreading in hospitals in 1961 (Poonam Sood Loomba et al., 2010) Prolonged hospitalization, indiscriminate use of antibiotics and in dwelling medical devices are the cause for the appearance and spread of MRSA. The nosocomial multi drug resistant MRSA (HAMRSA) strains have a high effect on patient International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 6 (2017) pp. 921-926 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com