Abstract :
This study was aimed at isolating and characterizing vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from clinical and
community samples in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Seven hundred and nine (709) clinical and community
samples were obtained for this study. Antibiotic susceptibility test was done using Kirby Bauer disc diffusion
method. Vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) isolates were detected using Kirby-Bauer disc
diffusion method with vancomycin antibiotic disc (30 μg). Isolates were also screened for β-lactamase enzyme
production. A total of 84 (27.7 %) and 120 (29.5 %) Staphylococcus aureus isolates were obtained from the clinical
and community samples respectively using standard microbiological techniques. Results showed that 55 VRSA
isolates were obtained from the samples with prevalence frequency of 36.9 % and 20 % for clinical and community
isolates respectively. The clinical isolates were completely resistant (100 %) to nitrofurantoin, clindamycin,
ceftazidime, tetracycline and penicillin. Gentamicin was the most effective antibiotic against the S. aureus isolates
obtained from clinical samples as all the isolates were completely susceptible (100 %). Ciprofloxacin was the most
effective antibiotic against the S. aureus isolates obtained from community samples with a susceptibility frequency
of 100 %. This was closely followed by gentamicin (75 %) and erythromycin. Exactly 38.1 % and 24.2 % of the
clinical and community S. aureus isolates were positive for beta-lactamase production respectively. The HA-VRSA
and CA-VRSA isolates had MARI values within the range of 0.5 to 1.0. This present discovery of multi-drug
resistant VRSA with high multiple antibiotic resistance indices is in Abakaliki is a serious public health issue.
Therefore, there is an urgent need to keep a strict watch on VRSA emerging from Abakaliki.
Keyword :
CA-VRSA, HA-VRSA, MARI, beta-lactamase, antibiotics