Abstract

Aim. This study investigates the demographic distribution, antibiotic resistance profiles, and molecular characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus infections.


Methods. The study was carried out in 141 patients, 60.4% male, in patients from Chania and Heraklion, Crete.


Results. The highest infection prevalence observed in the older adults (≥65 years) age group. The predominant infection types were skin lesions (39.72) and respiratory tract infection (22.7%). Antibiotic resistance testing revealed that 57.44% of strains were MRSA, with high resistance to Tetracycline, Ciprofloxacin, Kanamycine Erythromycin and Clindamycin. Molecular analysis showed 19.14% of strains were Pvl-positive, highlighting the presence of both MRSA and MSSA strains with Pvl genes.


Conclusions. The study underscores the need for continuous surveillance and targeted infection control strategies to manage the spread of MRSA, particularly in vulnerable populations.

Keywords

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Plv (Panton-Valentine leucocidin), MRSA (Methicillin-resistant S. aureus), Hospital-Associated MRSA (HA-MRSA), Community-Associated MRSA (CA-MRSA), MSSA (Methicillin-sensitive S. aureus), PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)