Axis Journal of Medical and Biosocial Sciences (AJMBS)

PREVALENCE OF ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS STRAINS IN HOSPITAL ENVIRONMENTS AND ASSOCIATED INFECTION RISKS

Authors

  • Shabeer Haider

    Author

  • Murtaza Khodadadi

    Author

Keywords:
Antimicrobial Resistance, Cross-Sectional Studies, Environmental Monitoring, Hospital-Acquired Infections, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Microbial Sensitivity Tests, Staphylococcal Infections
Abstract

Background: Antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (ARSA), particularly methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), remains a critical cause of healthcare-associated infections worldwide. Its ability to persist on hospital surfaces and spread among patients and healthcare workers poses a considerable public wellbeing threat. Understanding the environmental distribution and resistance patterns of S. aureus is essential for helpful infection control strategies.

Objective: To determine the prevalence and distribution of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains in hospital environments and assess their correlation with infection incidence among patients and healthcare workers.

Methods: This css analysis was done over five months in three tertiary care hospitals in Lahore. A total of 350 samples were collected from environmental surfaces (n=200), patients (n=100), and healthcare workers (n=50). Isolation and identification of S. aureus were completed via typical microbiological procedures. Antibiotic exposure was tested by the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion way tracking CLSI guidelines. Details were evaluated using SPSS version 27, applying Pearson’s correlation and logistic regression tests (p < 0.05 considered significant).

Results: Out of 350 samples, S. aureus was isolated from 156 (44.6%), of which 87 (55.8%) were MRSA. The highest contamination occurred in ICUs (62.3%), followed by surgical wards (54.7%). Environmental MRSA prevalence showed a strong positive correlation with patient infection incidence (r = 0.72, p < 0.001). All isolates were resistant to penicillin (94.2%) but remained fully sensitive to vancomycin and linezolid.

Conclusion: Antibiotic-resistant S. aureus is highly prevalent in hospital environments, with significant links to patient infections. Strengthened environmental cleaning, healthcare worker screening, and antibiotic stewardship are vital to curb transmission and improve infection control outcomes.

Author Biographies
  1. Shabeer Haider

    Department of Microbiology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, KPK, Pakistan.

  2. Murtaza Khodadadi

    MSC, Microbiology and Immunology , Comsats University Islamabad, Pakistan.

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Published
2025-05-31
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Vol. 2 No. 1 (2025): Axis Journal of Medical and Biosocial Sciences (AJMBS)
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Articles
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Copyright (c) 2025 Shabeer Haider, Murtaza Khodadadi (Author)

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PREVALENCE OF ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS STRAINS IN HOSPITAL ENVIRONMENTS AND ASSOCIATED INFECTION RISKS. (2025). Axis Journal of Medical and Biosocial Sciences, 2(1), 53-66. https://axisjmbs.com/index.php/home/article/view/19