Prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Among Patients in Hospitals of Taiz City, Yemen

Authors

  • Ayman A. R. Saeed Department of Medical Laboratory, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Al Janad University for Sciences and Technology, Taiz, Yemen Author
  • Aya A. H. Radman Department of Medical Laboratory, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Al Janad University for Sciences and Technology, Taiz, Yemen Author
  • Balqees N. M. Al-Sharaabi Department of Medical Laboratory, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Al Janad University for Sciences and Technology, Taiz, Yemen Author
  • Elyas S. H. Abdulmughn Department of Medical Laboratory, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Al Janad University for Sciences and Technology, Taiz, Yemen Author
  • Rafa S. A. Almqtary Department of Medical Laboratory, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Al Janad University for Sciences and Technology, Taiz, Yemen Author
  • Shaima M. S. Al-Buraihi Department of Medical Laboratory, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Al Janad University for Sciences and Technology, Taiz, Yemen Author
  • Heba A. A. Aldumini Department of Medical Laboratory, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Al Janad University for Sciences and Technology, Taiz, Yemen Author
  • Hala M. S. Thabit Department of Medical Laboratory, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Al Janad University for Sciences and Technology, Taiz, Yemen Author

Keywords:

Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA, Antimicrobial resistance, Nasal colonization, Hospitalized patients, Yemen

Abstract

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of healthcare-associated infections and poses a significant global public health challenge because of its resistance to β-lactam antibiotics and adverse impact on patient outcomes. Despite its clinical importance, data on the prevalence of MRSA among hospitalized patients in Taiz City, Yemen, remain limited.

Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted between October and December 2025 among 150 hospitalized patients selected using a simple random sampling technique. Nasal swab specimens were collected and cultured on mannitol salt agar to isolate Staphylococcus aureus. The isolates were identified using standard microbiological methods, and methicilin resistance was determined using the cefoxitin disk diffusion method.

Results: The prevalence of MRSA among the study participants was 34.7% (52/150), whereas methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) accounted for 17.3% (26/150) of the isolates. No bacterial growth was observed in 20.7% (31/150) of the collected specimens. A statistically significant association was found between MRSA colonization and prior antibiotic use (p < 0.001). However, no significant associations were observed between MRSA positivity and age, sex, chronic diseases, or other clinical variables.

Conclusion: The findings demonstrate a relatively high prevalence of MRSA among hospitalized patients in Taiz. The significant association between MRSA and previous antibiotic use highlights the urgent need to strengthen antimicrobial stewardship programs, enhance infection prevention and control measures, and implement continuous surveillance to reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistance in healthcare facilities.

References

Al-Arnoot, S., Abdullah, Q. Y., Al-Maqtari, M. A., Ibrahim, H. M., Al-Shamahy, H. A., Salah, E. M., et al. (2025). Multitarget antimicrobial mechanisms of plant extracts: A review of harnessing phytochemicals against drug-resistant pathogens. Sana'a University Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 19(4), 292–309. https://doi.org/10.59628/jchm.v19i4.1936

Al-Humaidan, O. S., El-Kersh, T. A., & Al-Akeel, R. A. (2015). Risk factors of nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among health care staff in a teaching hospital in central Saudi Arabia. Saudi Medical Journal, 36(9), 1084–1090. https://doi.org/10.15537/smj.2015.9.12460

Al-Khawlany, R. S., Edrees, W. H., Al-Jaufy, A. Y., Nasher, M. A., Al-Shehari, W. A., Reem, A., et al. (2021). Prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and antibacterial susceptibility among patients with skin and soft tissue infection at Ibb City, Yemen. PSM Microbiology, 6(1), 1–11. https://psmjournals.org/index.php/microbiol/article/view/535

Al-Safani, A. M. A., Al-Shamahy, H. A., & Al-Moyed, K. A. (2018). Prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility pattern and risk factors of MRSA isolated from clinical specimens among military patients at 48 Medical Compound in Sanaʾa City, Yemen. Universal Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 3(3), 39–43. https://doi.org/10.22270/ujpr.v3i3.165

Austin, T. W., Austin, M. A., McAlear, D. E., Coleman, B. T., Osoba, A. O., Thaqafi, A. O., et al. (2003). MRSA prevalence in a teaching hospital in Western Saudi Arabia. Saudi Medical Journal, 24(12), 1313–1316. https://smj.org.sa/content/24/12/1313

Aweis, A. D. H., Gaʾal, H., Ishaq Aweis, D. M., & Hassan, G. D. (2025). Nasal carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in healthcare workers at Banadir Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia. Frontiers in Tropical Diseases, 6, 1425042. https://doi.org/10.3389/fitd.2025.1425042

Cheesbrough, M. (2006). District laboratory practice in tropical countries: Part 2 (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511543470

Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). (2020). Performance standards for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (36th ed.). CLSI supplement M100. Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. https://clsi.org/shop/standards/m100/

Dilnessa, T., & Bitew, A. (2016). Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from clinical samples at Yekatit 12 Hospital Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. BMC Infectious Diseases, 16(1), 398. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-016-1742-5

Fisher, A. A., Laing, J. E., Stoeckel, J. E., & Townsend, J. W. (1991). Handbook for family planning operations research design (2nd ed.). Population Council. https://doi.org/10.31899/rh10.1039

Fooladi, A. A. I., Ashrafi, E., Tazandareh, S. G., Koosha, R. Z., Rad, H. S., Amin, M., et al. (2015). The distribution of pathogenic and toxigenic genes among MRSA and MSSA clinical isolates. Microbial Pathogenesis, 81, 60–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2015.03.013

Hashim, A. E. M., Ali, A. I., Elmola, K., Ameen, M. A., & Awdalla, H. (2018). Nasal colonization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among medical residents in Al-Azhar University Hospital, Damietta branch. Al-Azhar Assiut Medical Journal, 16(1), 87–95. https://doi.org/10.4103/1687-1693.244149

Li, J., Cheng, F., Wei, X., Bai, Y., Wang, Q., Li, B., et al. (2025). Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA): Resistance, prevalence, and coping strategies. Antibiotics, 14(8), 771. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14080771

Limaye, D., Limaye, V., Fortwengel, G., & Krause, G. (2018). Self-medication practices in urban and rural areas of Western India: A cross sectional study. International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, 5(7), 2672–2685. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20182596

Llor, C., Hernández, S., Bayona, C., Moragas, A., Sierra, N., Hernández, M., et al. (2013). A study of adherence to antibiotic treatment in ambulatory respiratory infections. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 17(3), e168–e172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2012.09.012

Ngoi, S. T., Niek, W. K., Lee, Y. W., AbuBakar, S., & Teh, C. S. J. (2021). Genomic analysis revealed a novel genotype of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus isolated from a fatal sepsis case in a dengue patient. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 4228. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-83661-8

Otto, M. (2012). MRSA virulence and spread. Cellular Microbiology, 14(10), 1513–1521. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-5822.2012.01832.x

Rajendran, A., Kulirankal, K. G., Rakesh, P. S., & George, S. (2019). Prevalence and pattern of antibiotic self-medication practice in an urban population of Kerala, India: A cross-sectional study. Indian Journal of Community Medicine, 44(Suppl. 1), S42–S45. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijcm.IJCM_33_19

Silva, L. P., Fortaleza, C. M. C. B., Teixeira, N. B., Silva, L. T. P., de Angelis, C. D., & Ribeiro de Souza da Cunha, M. D. L. (2022). Molecular epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA in bedridden patients and residents of long-term care facilities. Antibiotics, 11(11), 1526. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11111526

Skodvin, B., Wathne, J. S., Lindemann, P. C., Harthug, S., Nilsen, R. M., Charani, E., et al. (2019). Use of microbiology tests in the era of increasing AMR rates: A multicentre hospital cohort study. Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control, 8(1), 28. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-019-0480-z

Sturkie, E. K., Moore, C. R., Caulfield, C. A., Schmid, E., Lachiewicz, A. M., & Stephens, J. R. (2021). Frequency and yield of blood cultures for observation patients with skin and soft tissue infections. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 44, 161–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2021.02.026

Zhang, G., Zhang, Y., Chen, M., & Zhang, F. (2020). Comparison of different bacteriological testing strategies and factors for bacteriological confirmation among pulmonary TB patients: A retrospective study in Tianjin, China, 2017–2018. BMC Infectious Diseases, 20(1), 548. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-020-05273-3

Downloads

Published

2026-06-30

Data Availability Statement

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2026): January–June 2026

Section

Research Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Ayman A. R. Saeed, Aya A. H. Radman, Balqees N. M. Al-Sharaabi, Elyas S. H. Abdulmughn, Rafa S. A. Almqtary, Shaima M. S. Al-Buraihi, Heba A. A. Aldumini, Hala M. S. Thabit (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

All articles published in the Yemeni Journal of Life Sciences are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

This permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are properly cited.