Emergence of high-level vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of the study was to investigate the prevalence of vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA).


METHODS
Three hundred and fifty-six S. aureus isolates from the Imam Khomeini hospital in Tehran, Iran, were evaluated for methicillin and decreased vancomycin susceptibility by the microbroth dilution method. The mecA, vanAand vanB genes were targeted by polymerase chain reaction.


RESULTS
Of the 356 isolates, 149 (41.85%) S. aureus strains were resistant to methicillin. Two strains of methicillin-resistant S. aureus were VRSA strains. One isolate, Teaching Hospital-1 (TEH-1), had a vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 64 microg/ml and was susceptible to teicoplanin while the other isolate (TEH-2) had a vancomycin and teicoplanin MIC of 512 and >256 microg/ml, respectively, and was positive for the vanA gene.


CONCLUSIONS
This report shows that the emergence of VRSA in Iran warrants active microbiological surveillance and careful monitoring of vancomycin therapy.
Aligholi
Marzieh
M
Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Emaneini
Mohammad
M
Jabalameli
Fereshteh
F
Shahsavan
Shadi
S
Dabiri
Hosein
H
Sedaght
Hossein
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D016106:Methicillin Resistance / Q000187:drug effects*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020713:Vancomycin Resistance / Q000187:drug effects*; D055815:Young Adult