STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION OF MECA GENE IN HOSPITALIZED PATIENT’S MRSA ISOLATES

Detection of mecA gene, the gene encoding PBP2a, using PCR is considered to be the reference method. A total of 98 staphylococcal clinical isolates were used in this study. All the isolates were screened by a set of primers specific for mecA gene. In this study out of 98 isolates 78 isolates were classified as methicillin resistant based on disk diffusion method, while 20 were classified as MSSA. The mecA gene was found positive in 89 (MRSA & MSSA) isolates (87.22%), 20 out of 98 isolates which were categorized as MSSA by disk diffusion method 11 showed amplification of mecA gene by PCR. Complete concordance in our study between PCR results and those of disk diffusion method were found in 78 isolates. In terms of clinical implications, the discrepant finding among tests caution against the reliance on a single method for determining methicillin resistance in staphylococci as this can lead to erroneous results and patents receiving inappropriate medications. This study is first of its kind in a small city like Akola Maharashtra where Staphylococcus infection is increasing and becoming a menace which is resistant to methicillin.