Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been one of the most important antibiotic-resistant pathogen in many parts of the world over the past decades. This cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate MRSA isolated between July 2013 and July 2014 in Karaj, Iran. All tested isolates were collected in teaching hospitals from personnel, patients, and surfaces and each MRSA was analyzed by SCCmec and spa typing. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was accomplished by disk diffusion method. Out of 49 MRSA isolates from the Karaj's teaching hospitals, 82%, 10%, and 6% of the isolates were SCCmec types III, II, and I, respectively. The main spa type in this study was spa t030 with frequency as high as 75.5% from intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospitals and high rate of resistance to rifampicin (53%) was found in MRSA isolates. In conclusion, high frequency of spa t030 with SCCmec type III and MRSA phenotype illustrated circulating of one of the antibiotic-resistant strains in ICU of Karaj's teaching hospitals and emphasizes the need for ongoing molecular surveillance, antibiotic susceptibility monitoring, and infection control.
Keywords: Iran; MRSA; SCCmec typing; spa typing; t030.