Methicillin-resistant staphylococcal strains isolated from clinical samples.

Infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus strains (MRSS) have become an increasing problem both as community-acquired and nosocomial infections. In order to eradicate colonization as well as to cure infections, optimal antibiotic treatment is required. In this study we examined the incidence of MRSS in clinical samples and compared the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with that of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus non-aureus strains. All the MRSS were resistant to penicillin. Among them there was a variation in the percentage of strains resistant to various antimicrobial agents. Within MRSS the most frequent resistances were those to erythromycin and norfloxacin. Ciprofloxacin and teicoplanin were the most effective antibiotics tested against MRSS, followed in activity by vancomycin and imipenem. The incidence of antibiotic resistance among MRSS was significantly higher than that among methicillin-susceptibility staphylococcal species.