Abstract
Background:
Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important causes of nosocomial infections and most clinical isolates are multidrug resistant. Resistance to ?-lactam antibiotics is most often due to bacterial ?-lactamase production. Characterization of ?-lactamases is important for choosing appropriate antibiotic therapy.Materials and Methods:
Thirty methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were identified by standard biochemical methods. Antibacterial susceptibility to 9 ?-lactam antibiotics was determined. ?-lactamase production was shown in all isolates using the colony iodometric test and nitrocefin discs. ?-lactamase typing was carried out by measuring the relative substrate hydrolysis rates.Results:
The MRSA isolates were resistant to the majority of ?-lactam antibiotics. The results showed that 90% of the isolates displayed type A substrate hydrolysis profile of ?-lactamase.Conclusion:
The alarming high level of resistance to ?-lactam antibiotics including methicillin and 3rd generation ?-lactams show the need for extensive studies on alternative treatment protocols and use of new drugsKeywords
Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Antibiotic resistance ?-lactamase typing
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