Prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Staphylococcus aureus in wound infections: a hospital study in Hawassa, Ethiopia.

INTRODUCTION: Wound infections are common nosocomial infections associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Staphylococcus aureus, particularly methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), is a major cause of hospital-acquired wound infections. This study aimed to determine the burden and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of S. aureus and MRSA, among patients with wound infections at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (HUCSH), Hawassa, Ethiopia.

METHODOLOGY: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 246 admitted patients with wound infections at HUCSH from April to August 2021. Wound swabs were aseptically collected and cultured for bacterial isolation and drug susceptibility testing. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20, and descriptive statistics were computed.

RESULTS: Among the 246 clinical specimens analyzed, S. aureus was isolated from 57 (23.2%), of which 5 (8.8%) were identified as MRSA. All S. aureus strains were sensitive to linezolid. The highest resistance was observed for penicillin (52 strains, 91.2%), and 24.6% of S. aureus strains were found to be multidrug resistant. All MRSA strains were isolated from patients with no history of past wound infection, and all of them were sensitive to vancomycin.

CONCLUSIONS: This study identified S. aureus (23.2%) and MRSA (8.8%) along with their antimicrobial resistance among patients with wound infections at HUCSH. A substantial proportion (24.6%) of S. aureus exhibited multidrug resistance. However, all MRSA isolates were sensitive to vancomycin. Continuous drug resistance monitoring (drug surveillance) is crucial to manage and prevent resistance spread in the hospital.