ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF VANCOMYCIN RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS FROM WOUND INFECTIONS IN PATIENTS ATTENDING SELECTED HOSPITALS IN MINNA, NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study determined the antibiotic sensitivity of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from wounds samples in patients attending General Hospital (GH), Minna and IBB Specialist Hospital, Minna, Niger State. Wounds samples from two hundred (200) patients were collected and analyzed for Staphylococcus aureus. The resistance pattern of the S. aureus isolates for vancomycin using disc diffusion techniques was also determined. Out of the 200 samples collected from both hospitals, 97 (48.50 %) were positive for S. aureus. GH Minna had higher occurrence of S. aureus 76 (50.70 %) than IBB specialist Minna with 21 (42.00 %). Wounds samples from male had higher frequency of occurrence 65 (67.00 %) compared to female 32 (33.00 %). In these findings, it was observed that S. aureus had a high resistance rate of vancomycin and also resistance to other antibiotics such as; Amoxicillin, Ampicillin, Oxacillin and Erythromycin, although resistance to Erythromycin was very low in this study. The molecular characterization identified the VRSA isolates to be S. aureus strain GSI17, S. aureus strain GSI36, S. aureus strain GSI93, S. aureus strain GSI112 and S. aureus strain GSI114. vanA, van B and vanXY from the isolates were resistant genes detected in the isolates with band size approximately 713 bp, 430 bp and 550 bp respectively. This study established the active circulation of vanA, vanB and vanXY resistant genes among S. aureus in the study area.