Introduction: The rapid emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Staphylococcus aureus infections has become a concerning global health threat. This study aimed to identify the antibiotic resistance patterns of MDR S. aureus in burn wound infections.
Methods: A total of 100 swab samples were collected from burn wound patients at Taleghani Burn Hospital (Ahvaz, Iran). All samples were obtained from hospitalized patients within 7 days of admission. The isolates were identified as S. aureus using standard culture methods and biochemical tests. The antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates was evaluated in vitro using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method with 17 antibiotics. Subsequently, the isolates were subjected to species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis.
Results: Forty S. aureus isolates (40%) were obtained from burn wound samples. The isolates exhibited the highest resistance to penicillin (82.5%), amikacin (77.5%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (70%), ciprofloxacin, and gentamicin (67.5%), while showing the highest susceptibility to vancomycin (80%), linezolid (77.5%), clindamycin (72.5%), and erythromycin (60%). Twenty isolates (50%) were resistant to more than 3 antibiotics and were classified as MDR isolates.
Conclusion: The prevalence of MDR S. aureus is a global issue that requires immediate attention. The multidrug resistance of S. aureus may stem from prolonged hospitalization of patients in burn units and the overuse of antibiotics for infection treatment. Therefore, understanding the epidemiology, antibiotic resistance patterns, and infection management of S. aureus in burn units would be highly beneficial.
