title: Prevalence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus in pyogenic community and hospital acquired skin and soft tissues infections.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the percentage and frequency of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in community and hospital-acquired pyogenic skin and soft tissue infections.
  
  
  METHODS
  The descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Dermatology Department of Combined Military Hospital, Abbottabad, from June 2009 to March 2010, and comprised 144 community-acquired and 54 hospital-acquired skin and soft tissue infections. Pus swabs from the infected lesions one from each individual were sent to laboratory for culture and sensitivity tests. Methicillin resistance was detected by 1 microg oxacillin disk. Organisms were labelled methicillin-resistant once the inhibition zone for oxocillin was less than 10 mm. Data analysis was done by using SPSS 20.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 198 patients in the study, 98 (49.5%) were males and 100 (50.5%) were females, with an overall mean age of 33.7 +/- 14.81 44 years. There were 144 (72.72%) community-acquired infections and 54 (27.27%) had hospital-acquired infections. Community-acquired Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus numbered 40 (27.8%) and hospital-acquired ones numbered 26 (48.1%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prevalence of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in community and hospital-acquired pyogenic skin and soft tissue infections was high.
authors.forename: Muhammad Khurram
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.forename: Asma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Asrar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D018461:Soft Tissue Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D013207:Staphylococcal Skin Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology