Prevalence and Antibiogram of Healthcare-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (HA-MRSA) in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) remains a major cause of both community and healthcare-associated infections. This study was designed to determine the prevalence and antibiogram of healthcare-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA) in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. A total of 315 clinical samples were obtained from government-owned and private-owned healthcare facilities (HCFs) in Ebonyi State. S. aureus were characterized and identified based on standard microbiological procedures. MRSA isolates were detected using Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion technique with oxacillin (1µg) and cefoxitin (30µg) antibiotic discs. HA-MRSA prevalence frequency of 41.5% was recorded in the HCFs in Ebonyi State. Frequency of HA-MRSA isolation was highest in urine samples (51.1 %). Furthermore, a higher HA-MRSA isolation rate (63.6%) was observed in clinical samples from private HCFs than the government HCFs (28.4%). HA-MRSA were highly resistant to penicillin (99.4 %), ceftazidime (96.4 %), and erythromycin (90.6%), but highly susceptible to ciprofloxacin and gentamycin. A mean MARI index of 0.71 was observed in this study with 96.5 % > 0.2. In conclusion, prevalence of HA-MRSA was quite alarming in our study area. Therefore, more proactive measures must be taken to curb this public health menace before it escalates beyond control. The use of therapeutics such as ciprofloxacin and gentamycin is strongly recommended for the treatment of MRSA infections in our study area.