Prevalence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia at Teaching Hospital Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

Worldwide, an estimated 2 billion healthy people carry Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and of these, up to 53 million are thought to carry Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). SA is a feared pathogen because it causes severe infections and spread by metastatic foci. SA commonly colonizes the nostrils, skin, perineum, respiratory tract, open wounds and urinary tract which serves potential sites for infection. The multidrug resistant strains of SA have been isolated. In general, the fatality rates of MRSA infections range from 20% to 50% [1].