Staphylococcus aureus phage types and their correlation to antibiotic resistance

Area of Science:

• Medical Microbiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Antimicrobial Resistance

Background:

• Staphylococcus aureus is a significant human pathogen responsible for outbreaks.
• Characterizing S. aureus strains is crucial for controlling hospital and community infections.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus phage groups.
• To analyze antibiotic resistance patterns in different phage groups.
• To compare MRSA and MSSA strains regarding phage typing and antibiotic susceptibility.

Main Methods:

• Phage typing and antibiotic susceptibility testing of 252 S. aureus clinical isolates.
• Statistical analysis using Chi-square test to compare MRSA and MSSA antibiotic susceptibility.

Main Results:

• MRSA prevalence was 29.36%, MSSA 70.65%.
• Community-acquired strains included 17.56% MRSA and 40.44% MSSA.
• MSSA phage type 81 from the community was sensitive to clindamycin but resistant to penicillin; hospital strains showed higher multi-drug resistance.

Conclusions:

• Phage group III predominated MRSA, while phage group NA (type 81) was common in community MSSA.
• Community MSSA strains differed significantly from hospital strains in phage type and antibiotic resistance.
• A correlation exists between community-acquired phage type 81 and sensitivity to gentamicin and clindamycin.