Occurrence and relative risk factors of pediatric MRSA infections related among population of South Punjab Multan, Pakistan.

Background and objectives: S. aureus is a renowned pathogenic Gram-positive, round-shaped bacteria found as normal flora in the nasal cavities, in the respiratory system, and on the skin. The main cause behind the increasing prevalence of MRSA may be due to the misdiagnosis and subsequently inappropriate use of antibiotics. The foremost purpose of this research was to estimate the prevalence of pediatric MRSA infections from the population of South Punjab and the estimation of associated risk factors based on the pediatric population subgroups, based on gender, and the relevant sample sources from which the pathogens were isolated. Method: For this purpose, 69 S. aureus samples (38 samples from male patients and 31 samples from female patients) were collected from pediatric patients. Results: Out of 69 samples, 59 samples were positive for S. aureus. Out of 59 samples, 30 samples were identified as MRSA based on antibiotic disks susceptibility by Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method by applying cefoxitin, oxacillin, and vancomycin disks. 10 samples from 30 confirmed samples were subjected to molecular diagnosis with PCR using targeting three genes which include 16S rRNA, nuc, and mecA genes. All 10 samples were found positive for 16S rRNA, 9 samples for nuc, and 7 samples for mecA. Interpretation and conclusions: The results suggest that there should be a proper diagnosis of MRSA strains to confirm the presence of mecA gene otherwise it will be misdiagnosed and subsequently leading to misuse of antibiotics and hence may give rise to the real superbugs, MRSA and VRSA as well.