Molecular and phenotypic characteristics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from Pediatric Hospital in Morocco

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the leading causes of infections acquired in both community and hospital settings associated with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Resistance to methicillin in S. aureus is mediated by PBP2a, a penicillin-binding protein with low affinity to beta-lactams, encoded by the mecA gene. Accurate susceptibility testing of S . aureus isolates and screening of patients for colonization with MRSA are important tools to limit the spread of this organism.This study was conducted from December 2010 to Mai 2014 in a Mother Child Hospital CHU Mohamed VI Marrakech in Morocco. The Extreme Age was: 2 Days - 15 years with an average age of 24 months, a total of 259 S . aureus were collected from various clinical specimens, fifty three isolates identified as MRSA using antibiogram, disc diffusion method, and PCR to determine staphylococcal chromosome cassette mec (SCCmec).All isolates from neonates were resistant to Penicillin, Oxacillin, all were susceptible to the Vancomycin, and Pristinamicin, 28 (52.83%) were resistant to Kanamycin, 27(50.94%) isolates were resistant to Pefloxacin, Tobramycin resistance was observed in 26 (49.06%) isolates, twenty four of isolates 53 (45.28%) were resistant to Erythromycin 21 (39.62%) to Gentamicin, Tetracycline resistance was observed in 19 (35.85%) isolates, resistance was also observed in 16 (30.19%) strains to both Rifampin and Trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole, in 9 (16.98%) strains to fusidic acid, in 5 (9.43%) strains to Tigecycline, and in four strains (7.5%) to Chloramphenicol, only one (1.89%) strains to Lincomicin. SCCmec-III was the dominant SCCmec type (47.17%), followed by SCCmec-IV (33.96%), SCCmec-II (11.32%), SCCmecV (5.66%) and SCCmec I (1.89%) were the less common, SCCmec Type -VI is absent in all strains.The need for routine surveillance of child for resistant methicillin staphylococcus aureus to reduce child morbidity caused by the organism has therefore been revealed by this study