Conrad Ondieki Miruka
Department of Biochemistry, Kampala International University- Western Campus, Uganda
Date: 2026
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of bacteria that can cause infections, particularly among people admitted to hospitals. It is a serious health concern because it is resistant to methicillin and may also resist several other commonly used antibiotics, making infections difficult to treat. Although MRSA has been reported in different parts of Uganda, there was no information about its occurrence among patients at Kampala International University Teaching Hospital (KIUTH) in western Uganda. This study was therefore carried out to find out how common MRSA was among patients admitted to the surgical ward and to determine which antibiotics were effective against it.
A study by Nalwoga et al (2016) found multiple S. aureus isolates that were resistant to several antibiotics. The researchers collected wound samples from male and female patients admitted to the surgical ward. The samples were examined in the laboratory to identify Staphylococcus aureus. The bacteria identified as S. aureus were then tested to determine whether they were resistant to methicillin. The MRSA bacteria identified were also tested against several antibiotics to determine which medicines could effectively control them.
A total of 114 bacterial isolates were obtained from the wound samples, of which 75 were confirmed to be Staphylococcus aureus. More than half (56.1%) of the S. aureus isolates were found to be MRSA. Among the MRSA isolates, resistance to ciprofloxacin was the highest, meaning that ciprofloxacin was the least effective of the antibiotics tested. Resistance to ceftriaxone was the lowest, suggesting that ceftriaxone was the most effective among the antibiotics tested.
The study therefore found that MRSA was common among patients in the surgical ward. This is a concern because infections caused by these bacteria can be difficult to treat. The findings highlight the need for the hospital to strengthen measures that prevent the spread of MRSA among patients. The researchers also recommend identifying the sources of these drug-resistant bacteria so that appropriate measures can be developed to control their spread and prevent the occurrence of infections that are difficult to treat in the future.
References
Janet Nalwoga, Michael Tirwomwe, Albert Nyanchoka Onchweri, Josephat Nyabayo Maniga, Cyprian Mose Nyaribo, Conrad Ondieki Miruka (2016). Drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Clinical Samples at Kampala International University-teaching Hospital, Bushenyi District, Uganda. American Journal of Biomedical Research, 4 (4): 94-98. DOI:10.12691/ajbr-4-4-3
Leave a Reply