Abstract
Background: Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a threat to the modern world as it is associated with a high morbidity and mortality rate. There is a high overall prevalence of MRSA in Saudi Arabia which has implications on patient outcome. Methods: This cross sectional study included culture and sensitivity reports of S. aureus and their antibiograms from the 1st of January 2019 to the 31st of December 2019, from a referral hospital in Sakaka, Aljouf. Data is presented as frequencies and percentages. Chi square test was performed to assess variation in MRSA frequency between gender and age groups. Odd's ratio with 95% confidence interval was also calculated. Results: Of the 178 total S. aureus cases, 120 (67.4%) were males and 58 (32.6%) were females. The majority (37.1%) of the cases were in the age group of >= 51 years. A total of 101 (56.7%) MRSA strains were recorded. Intensive care units and surgical wards contributed to the maximum number of MRSA cases i.e., 45.5% and 21.8% respectively. Most commonly, positivity for MRSA was encountered in nasal and wound swabs (39.6% and 29.7% respectively). Age and gender were found to be insignificant risk factors for the MRSA infection. Highest degree of resistance was seen for the ampicillin, penicillin G and Cefoxitin (95.5%, 95.5% and 89.3% respectively). Lowest degree of resistance was seen for the levofloxacin, clarithromycin, vancomycin, moxifloxacin and teicoplanin (ranging from 0.6 to 0.8%). Conclusion: High MRSA prevalence (56.7%) was observed in our study. MRSA infections were frequently seen in male patients aged >= 51 years from the ICU's and surgical wards. We recommend rigorous infection control measures and proper hand hygiene practices in the hospitals along with judicious use of antimicrobials.