Abstract

Infants, children and the aged are among the groups most vulnerable to microbial infections more so when these microbial agents become resistant to antimicrobials.  The antibiotic resistant profile of Staphylococcus aureus and selected coagulase negative staphylococci were determined by standard methods. Of the 178 staphylococcal isolates evaluated, 122 were S. aureus and the rest coagulase negative staphylococci. 68% of S. aureus isolates were resistant to amoxicillin, 69.8% to cloxacillin, 51% to augmentin and 71% to tetracycline.  However, only 2.6% of the 116 S aureus isolates tested were resistant to gentamycin making the drug a reliable therapeutic agent in the event of failure of other antimicrobials in treating staphylococcal infections at least in this community. Resistance to the penicillin drugs was mediated by the elaboration of b-lactamase by both pathogenic and non-pathogenic staphylococci. The study shows a high rate of cloxacillin resistance and possibly the existence of methicillin resistance among these strains.  80% of the S aureus strains were multi-resistant with 25% of these resistant to three different antibiotics, 21% to 4 and 6.8% to 6 different drugs. Only 1.2% of these S aureus strains were resistant to 7 different antimicrobials underscoring the need to reduce the high incidence of multi-resistance in this community in the event of an epidemic caused by these strains. The study reveals prevalence of multi-resistance among both pathogenic and non-pathogenic staphylococci in the community.  

Key words: Staphylococci, Staphylococcus aureus, antibiotics, multi-resistance.