Molecular epidemiology and Antibiotic susceptibility patterns of c1inical strains of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Sulaimani city-Iraq

Essam F. Al-Jumaily¹   Dinya A. Mohamed ²   and Hussain H. Khanaka

¹ Biotechnology Dept. Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Institute for postgraduate Studies, Baghdad University, Baghdad, Iraq.

²Biology Department College of Science, Sulaimani University, Iraq.

Corresponding Author E-mail: samgen992003@yahoo.com

Accepted 29 June, 2012

Abstract

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates with rapid development of resistance. The study conducted between 2006 and 2007 on 500 human subjects, yielding 211 strains of staphylococcus aureus from clinical specimens (wound burn samples), in order to determine their epidemiology, acquisition and dissemination of resistance genes. Antibiotic susceptibilities documented against 23 antibiotics. Susceptibility measured by the agar diffusion method, as recommended by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS 2006). 73 (35.6) isolates identified as MRSA as recommended by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS 2004). All MRSA were resistant to β-lactam antibiotics and most of them were resistant to multiple classes of antibiotics. The Qiagen midi kit was used for isolation of plasmids from MRSA. They contained 2-5 bands of plasmids others showed no plasmid containing. Genetic studies revealed that the antibiotics determinant may be resided on plasm ids or on the bacterial chromosome. The multi-drug resistant phenotype is not associated with increased plasmid carriage and sometimes characterized by an absence of plasmid DNA. To examine the genetic relatedness of phenotypically similar plasmid found in the MRSA isolates, plasmid DNA was subjected to Hind III digestion and their restriction pattern were compared. The results of REAP indicated that different clones of MRSA have persisted in the burn units of emergency hospital from Sulaimani city-Iraq.

Keyword: MRSA, antibacterial sensitivity, Plasmids .Restriction enzymes.