INTRODUCTION
Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) is one of the most important
pathogens affecting humans, has acquired resistance to various
antibiotics and is a leading cause of hospital and community
acquired infections, manifesting from minor skin diseases to lifethreatening
infections [1,2]. Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus
aureus (MRSA) was first described in 1961, reported after one year
of introduction of methicillin and has emerged as one of the most
important nosocomial pathogens specially in the last two decades
[3].
MRSA is now endemic in India. The incidence of MRSA varies
according to the region, 25% in western part of India [4] to 50% in
South India [5]. MRSA is of serious concern not due its sole
resistance to methicillin, but also because of resistance to many
other antimicrobials that are used on a regular basis in hospitals.
Current therapeutic options for MRSA are limited few expensive
drugs like vancomycin, linezolid, teicoplanin, daptomycin and
streptogramins. Another alarming sign is that emergence of
resistance to Vancomycin, although at a low level has been reported
[6]. Glycopeptides and linezolid continue to remain the mainstay of
treatment for MRSA.
Both endemic and epidemic MRSA infections occur globally as
infected and colonized patients in hospitals mediate the
dissemination of these isolates and hospital staff assists further
transmission [7]. Although many studies have been done on
prevalence and antibiogram of staphylococcus, but many of these
studies have concentrated only on methicillin resistant
staphylococcus aureus and not on methicillin resistant coagulase
negative staphylococci (MRCoNS) which are equally important. This
study has been carried to determine the prevalence and antibiotic