Prevalence of <i>mecA </i> gene among <i>staphylococci </i> from clinical samples of a tertiary hospital in Benin City, Nigeria

Abstract

BackgroundThe staphylococci have increasingly been associated with infections worldwide and anti-microbial resistance has made these versatile pathogens more recalcitrant in the hospital setting.ObjectivesThis study sought to investigate the occurrence and distribution of Staphylococcus species as well as determine the prevalence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin resistant coagulase negative staphylococci (MRCoNS) among clinical samples from University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) in Benin City.MethodsNinety one (91) clinical isolates comprising S. aureus and Coagulase Negative staphylococci (CoNS) were recovered from routine clinical specimens and anti-microbial susceptibility tests were carried out. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was thereafter carried out on these isolates to detect mecA gene.ResultsStaphylococcus species had its highest prevalence from infected wounds of patients (28.8%) while urine samples showed the least (5.4%). The highest level of resistance was to ceftazidime (S. aureus - 68%, CoNS - 75.6%) while the least resistance was observed for meropenem (S. aureus- 26%, CoNS- 46.3%). Using phenotypic method (with 1µg oxacillin antibiotic disc), the distribution of MRSA and MRCoNS was 44.0% and 46.3% respectively. PCR analysis showed that 38.0% of S. aureus and 41.5% of the CoNS had mecA gene respectively; wound swabs showed the highest prevalence with 30.5% of staphylococcal isolates being mecA gene positive. There was also no significant association between the Staphylococcal isolates and their isolation rate, isolation site and mecA gene distribution (p > 0.05).ConclusionThis study draws attention on the increase in the prevalence of mecA gene (39.6%) and an increase in multidrug resistant staphylococci when compared to previous studies in our country; it recommends laboratory guidance and periodic review to stem the tide of resistance.

Multidrug-Resistant Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci Isolated from Bloodstream in the uMgungundlovu District of KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa: Emerging Pathogens

“…A review paper [ 2 ] based on 35 studies in Africa, describing epidemiologically relevant CoNS found the most abundant CoNS species to be S. epidermidis and S. haemolyticus but found low detection rates of S. capitis (three studies), S. lugdunensis (three studies), S. caprae (one study), and S. gallinarum (one study). The MRCoNS prevalence rate (76.4%) was higher than that found in previous studies from clinical samples in healthcare settings in Nigeria (46.3%) [ 11 ] and Egypt (75.9%) [ 9 ]. However, higher MRCoNS prevalence figures of 86% [ 12 ] and 100% [ 13 ] were detected for CoNS implicated in infections in South Africa.…”

Molecular epidemiology and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance inEnterococcusspp.,Staphylococcusspp., andStreptococcusspp. in Africa: a systematic review from a One Health perspective

“…The mechanisms of resistance included mecA (≥107), blaZ ( n = 284), dfrA (≥5), and dfrG (≥152). Colonized persons—including immune‐compromised individuals—facilitated the spread of S. aureus and MRSA ST8, identified as ubiquitous in various geographic areas of Nigeria . High utilization of cotrimoxazole or SXT, because of low cost and easy obtainability through lenient medication regulations, was implicated for the high resistance .…”

Prevalence and Characterization of Coagulase Positive Staphylococci from Food Products and Human Specimens in Egypt

“…In this study, the mecA gene was successfully amplified in 11 out of 19 tested isolates (57.89%) at 583 bp. A comparative study in Nigeria reported that the mecA gene was prevalent in 38% of S. aureus isolates from human clinical specimens [ 49 ]. In Egypt, 8 out of 19 (42.1%) food origin S. aureus isolates exhibited phenotypic resistance to oxacillin and carried the mecA gene [ 50 ].…”