Prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from wounds of diabetic patients attending the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital

Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of delayed wound healing worldwide, particularly among diabetic patients, due to the bacterium’s resistance to antibiotics. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of S. aureus isolated from diabetic wound infections at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH). A purposive sampling method was used to select 156 diabetic patients, aged 13 years and above, attending the diabetic clinic at MTRH. Wound swabs were collected aseptically, inoculated onto blood agar, and sub-cultured on Mannitol Salt Agar. The isolates were identified through biochemical tests, and antimicrobial susceptibility was determined using the agar disk diffusion method. Of the 156 samples, 31 (19.87%) were positive for S. aureus, while 125 (80.13%) were negative. Among the positive isolates, 26 (10.48%) exhibited intermediate sensitivity, and 72 (29.03%) showed resistance to at least one antibiotic. More than half of the isolates were susceptible to the tested antibiotics. The highest susceptibility was observed for Cefoxitin (96.77%) and Clindamycin (80.65%), while Ampicillin demonstrated the lowest susceptibility (25.81%). The study established, 19.87% prevalence of S. aureus in wounds of diabetic patients at the outpatient diabetic clinic of MTRH, with most isolates showing susceptibility to Cefoxitin, Erythromycin, and Clindamycin. Regular surveillance, early screening, and re-evaluation of treatment options, particularly Ampicillin, are essential for effective management diabetic wound infections and to combat antibiotic resistance.