en ميکروب شناسي Microbiology Research Article Research Article <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b>Background:</b> Methicillin-resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (MRSA) has become a public health issue. The purpose of this study was to detect MRSA among <i>S. aureus</i> isolates and to detect the presence of the <i>mecA</i> gene among selected MRSA isolates.<br> <b>Methods:</b> A total of 206 <i>S. aureus</i> isolates identified after the necessary biochemical tests were tested for methicillin resistance using the cefoxitin disk diffusion method. The Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method was used to determine the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the isolates. Some MRSA isolates were tested for the presence of the <i>mecA</i> gene.<br> <b>Results:</b> A total of 122 <i>S. aureus</i> isolates were recovered from inanimate surfaces, with footwear showing the highest contamination rate (39.34%, n = 48), while 84 <i>S. aureus</i> isolates were obtained from the palms of the hands and nostrils of healthcare workers, with the nostrils harboring the highest proportion (83.33%, n = 70). Antibiotic susceptibility testing was carried out on the <i>S. aureus</i> isolates. The <i>S. aureus</i> isolates were more resistant to ampicillin, erythromycin, cotrimoxazole, and gentamicin. A total of 206 <i>S. aureus</i> isolates were tested for MRSA using cefoxitin disk diffusion, and 43.69% (n = 90) were methicillin-resistant. A total of 20 <i>S. aureus</i> isolates suspected to be MRSA were tested for the <i>mecA</i> gene, and only 4 isolates (20% of the total isolates tested by polymerase chain reaction) were positive for the <i>mecA</i> gene.<br> <b>Conclusion</b>: The presence of MRSA in the two tertiary hospitals poses a risk to healthcare and community environments by contaminating healthcare workers, patients, visitors, and surrounding surfaces.</span></span></div> Staphylococcus aureus, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Healthcare Workers, Inanimate Surfaces 11 15 http://mlj.goums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1906-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Ebubechi Uloma Okey-kalu ulomamgbeokwere@yahoo.com 100319475328460032806 100319475328460032806 Yes Department of Applied Microbiology and Brewing, Faculty of Biosciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra state, Nigeria Ikechukwu Okoli ik.okoli@unizik.edu.ng 100319475328460032807 100319475328460032807 No Department of Applied Microbiology and Brewing, Faculty of Biosciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra state, Nigeria Emmanuel Onwubiko Nwankwo get2knowgentlee@gmail.com 100319475328460032808 0009-0002-9141-4411 No Department of Microbiology, College of Natural sciences, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia state, Nigeria