Mechanism of Resistance, Phenotyping and Genotyping of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: A Review

Staphylococcus aureus causes a variety of suppurative (pus-forming) infections and toxinoses in humans. It causes superficial skin lesions such as boils, styes and furuncules; more serious infections such as pneumonia, mastitis, phlebitis, meningitis, and urinary tract infections; and deep-seated infections, such as osteomyelitis and endocarditis. S. aureus is a major cause of hospital acquired (nosocomial) infection of surgical wounds and infections associated with indwelling medical devices. Although methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have been entrenched in hospital settings for several decades, MRSA strains have recently emerged outside the hospital becoming known as community associatedMRSA( (CA-MRSA) or superbug strains of the organism, which now account for the majority of staphylococcal infections.( Todar, 2012)