Evaluation of femA gene and different primers for mecA gene for detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Abstract

The clinical specimens (wound and burn swab, abscess and pus, urine and blood culture) were collected from 122 patients admitted to different hospitals in Erbil city/Iraq. Depending on cultural, morphological and biochemical characteristics 38 isolates were identified as S. aureus. Antibiotic sensitivity testing was done for all isolates by using 8 antibiotics. Vancomycin was the most effective antibiotics against Staphylococcus aureus while only (31.57%) isolates were resistant to it. While Penicillin and Methicillin were the least effects when (94.87%) and (86.84%) isolates were resistant to them respectively. Through phenotypic detection for Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) among the 38 isolated S. aureus, 28 (73.68%) isolates were detected as MRSA and 10 (26.31%) isolates were detected as Methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA). Among S. aureus isolates, only 16 (42.10%) gave a positive result for mecA gene detection by PCR when used mecA 1st set primers, while 18 (47.36%) positive result for mecA 2nd set primers. Otherwise, all 38 (100%) S. aureus isolates showed a positive result for femA gene by PCR method

Keywords

• Antibiotics
• mecA and femA
• MRSA