Esan, C.O., Famurewa, O., Lin, J. and Shittu, A.O. (2009) Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus isolates obtained from Ekiti and Ondo States, South Western Nigeria. Afr. J. Microbiol. Res. 3(12):962-968.
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is one of the major causative agents of infection in all age groups following surgical wounds, skin abscesses, osteomyelitis and septicaemia. In Nigeria, it is one of the most important pathogen and a frequent micro-organism obtained from clinical samples in the microbiology laboratory. Data on clonal identities and diversity, surveillance and new approaches in the molecular epidemiology of this pathogen in Nigeria are limited. This study was conducted for a better understanding on the epidemiology of S. aureus and to enhance therapy and management of patients in Nigeria. A total of 54 S. aureus isolates identified by phenotypic methods and obtained from clinical samples and nasal samples of healthy medical personnel in Ondo and Ekiti States, South-Western Nigeria were analysed. Typing was based on antibiotic susceptibility pattern (antibiotyping), polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphisms (PCR-RFLPs) of the coagulase gene and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Of the 54 isolates, 50 were confirmed as S. aureus by PCR detection of the nuc gene. The antibiotic susceptibility testing showed that all the isolates were susceptible to fusidic acid and clindamycin, but 100% resistant to penicillin, 70% to tetracycline, 22% to erythromycin, 6% to gentamicin and 4% to ciprofloxacin. Only one isolate was confirmed to be a methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). The study established the importance of confirming phenotypic…