2026-10-12T08:54:41Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/33987546 2026-09-24T17:27:52Z category_7 category_8 category_21 category_46 category_734 category_811 category_64 category_106 category_132 category_134 portal_5 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

<p>Data.</p> Mavis S. Nyakayoya (25104999) Dennis Chisala (25105002) Kennedy Lubundi (25105005) Hariet Milambo (25105008) Masiliso A. Liamba (25105011) Kesaobaka Batisani (25105014) David Chisompola (22298349) Medicine Microbiology Biotechnology Immunology Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified Mathematical Sciences not elsewhere classified Cancer Science Policy Infectious Diseases Virology ≥ 60 years provincial referral hospital mansa general hospital mannitol salt agar continued local surveillance bauer disk diffusion used oral antibiotics reducing treatment effectiveness higher odds compared suspected staphylococcal skin soft tissue infections dnase tests ). staphylococcus aureus </ limited susceptibility testing 1 %, 48 antimicrobial susceptibility testing year retrospective study div >< p 4 %, 28 5 %), ciprofloxacin 7 %), erythromycin overall mrsa prevalence aureus </ 4 %), antimicrobial susceptibility staphylococcal infections retrospective cross reduced susceptibility limited settings lactam antibiotics higher mdr complicating treatment aor 4 antimicrobial resistance 266 ). 182 ). study highlights study aimed sectional study trimoxazole due treated empirically surrogate marker specimen source significant predictors poses challenges patient type <div><p>Methicillin-resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (MRSA) poses challenges in healthcare settings, contributing to antimicrobial resistance and complicating treatment of staphylococcal infections. In resource-limited settings such as Zambia, staphylococcal infections are treated empirically with clindamycin or co-trimoxazole due to limited susceptibility testing. However, MRSA and multidrug resistance are reducing treatment effectiveness. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of MRSA at Mansa General Hospital, Zambia. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 266 clinical <i>S. aureus</i> isolates from 2020-2024. Bacterial identification was performed using microbiological methods (Mannitol Salt Agar, catalase, coagulase, DNase tests). MRSA detection and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion- method with cefoxitin (30 µg) as a surrogate marker, interpreted according to CLSI M100 34th Edition guidelines. Multivariable logistic regression identified factors associated with MRSA. Among 266 <i>S. aureus</i> isolates, the overall MRSA prevalence was 31.6% (84/266). MRSA demonstrated significantly lower susceptibility than MSSA to non-beta-lactam antibiotics: clindamycin (46.2% vs. 67.7%), erythromycin (50.0% vs. 79.5%), ciprofloxacin (58.2% vs. 91.4%), and tetracycline (58.3% vs. 81.9%). Chloramphenicol (86.5% vs. 100%) and linezolid (81.8% vs. 97.9%) retained activity. MDR prevalence was 28.6% (76/266), with higher MDR (57.1%, 48/84) than MSSA (15.4%, 28/182). Older age was independently associated with MRSA: adults aged 45–59 years (AOR 2.77; 95% CI 1.09-7.01; p = 0.032) and ≥60 years (AOR 4.53; 95% CI 1.45-14.1; p = 0.009) had higher odds compared to children. Sex, patient type and specimen source were not significant predictors. This study highlights the high prevalence of MRSA at Mansa General Hospital, reduced susceptibility to used oral antibiotics and a burden of multidrug resistance. Empirical use of clindamycin and erythromycin for suspected staphylococcal skin and soft tissue infections should be reconsidered and guided by local antimicrobial susceptibility whenever available. Continued local surveillance and multicenter studies are needed to inform empirical treatment guidelines across Zambia.</p></div> 2026-09-24T17:27:50Z Dataset Dataset 10.1371/journal.pgph.0007348.s002 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/_p_Data_p_/33987546 CC BY 4.0