SCCmec typing in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates from surgical wards patients, Dr. Soetomo Hospital, Surabaya, Indonesia

MRSA strains can grow and spread quickly due to the ability to obtain and utilize mobile genetic elements such as SCCmec. Identification of SCCmec type in health care centers is essential to know the likely source of the spread of MRSA. This study aimed to analyze the distribution of SCCmec type in isolates of MRSA taken from surgical ward patients in Dr. Soetomo Hospital, Surabaya. The samples were 30 isolates from previous studies identified as MRSA colonization in the nose and throat. Isolates were inoculated onto Mannitol Salt Agar (MSA) and then subcultured onto Brilliance MRSA 2 Agar, followed by catalase and coagulase test. The PCR method has amplified thirty DNA templates to detect the SCCmec type. The result showed that 30/30 isolates (100%) contained SCCmec type III (HA-MRSA). Most of the admission patients in surgical wards were referral patients from the secondary hospital, so patients possibly entered the wards already with HA-MRSA colonization. Discharge patients were mostly hospitalized for a long time, with the duration of hospitalization being 6 to 132 days, with an average of 35.4 days. Hospitalizations allow the spread of MRSA from patients infected or colonized with MRSA SCCmec type III to healthcare workers and vice versa.