Trends in Antimicrobial Resistance of Staphylococcus aureus Uropathogens: A Retrospective Study From Duhok Province, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Background <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> is a gram-positive bacterium causing various infections, colonizing various human body sites, and leading to a wide spectrum of diseases. Antimicrobial resistance presents a growing and significant danger to worldwide public health, demanding urgent action from both governmental bodies and communities. Objectives This study aimed to analyze the antibiotic sensitivity of <i>S. aureus</i> for common antibiotics isolated from urine samples collected from participants at Azadi Teaching Hospital in Duhok, Iraq. Methods This study was conducted between January 2018 and February 2022. During this five-year period, a total of 396 samples were gathered from patients referring to Azadi Teaching Hospital, Duhok, Iraq. <i>S. aureus</i> strains were confirmed and tested in terms of susceptibility to various antibiotics using the VITEK 2 system (bioMérieux, Inc., Durham, NC). Results <i>S. aureus</i> isolates from urine samples from 2018 to 2022 showed the highest resistance rate in 2022. The highest resistance rate was reported for erythromycin (324, 81.82%) while the highest sensitivity rate was found for levofloxacin (275, 69.4%). Additionally, gender-based differences in antimicrobial susceptibility were negligible (p > 0.05), but generally, males had a slightly higher resistance rate compared to females. Conclusion According to the results, <i>S. aureus</i> isolated from urine samples varied in terms of the antibiotic susceptibility pattern with high resistance rates to erythromycin, penicillin, and oxacillin, while showing high sensitivity rates to levofloxacin, nitrofurantoin, and vancomycin. Further studies are needed with a broader geographical involvement to investigate the antibiotic sensitivity pattern in Iraq.