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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com / submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
S. aureus is a major human pathogen capable of causing a wide range of infections and remains the second cause of nosocomial infections. To biochemically characterise the isolated coagulase-positive staphylococci, to determine its antimicrobial susceptibility and the MRSA status. 2220 samples were processed in the study period among which 150 were S. aureus, identified by Gram staining and coagulase test. Tests for characterisation included mannitol fermentation, demonstration of pigment production on milk agar, phosphatase test, DNase test, tellurite reduction test and urease production. Anti-microbial susceptibility was done using the commonly used antibiotics and MRSA (Methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus) status was determined by cefoxitin disc diffusion method. Of the 150 tube coagulase positive S. aureus, only 145 (96.7%) were haemolytic, which were slide coagulase positive too in the first minute. The remaining 5 were slide coagulase positive after 1 minute. The positivity of 150 S. aureus to the other pathogenicity tests were mannitol fermentation (100%), DNase test (100%), pigment production on milk agar (100%), tellurite reduction (95.3%), phosphatase production (92%) and urease test (90.7%). Out of the 150 S. aureus, 54 % were MRSA. All the S. aureus isolates were resistant to ampicillin and cephalexin, partially resistant to other antibiotics and completely sensitive to vancomycin and linezolid. The MRSA isolates were resistant to cotrimoxazole, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, gentamicin, erythromycin and clindamycin. The methicillin-sensitive strains were resistant to the above mentioned antibiotics but with a lower percentage; difference being about half the total percentage.