ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the available data from various studies in South India with respect to antibiotic resistance exhibited by s. aureus in various environments. It aims to study and correlate the Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) resistance towards various antibiotics and to find out the prevalence of MRSA in South India. The chapter reveals that MRSA is a major threat in South India and most of the isolates were developed multidrug resistant. Most antibiotics used for treating infections are produced by environmental microorganisms, meaning that genes for antibiotic resistance must also have emerged in nonclinical habitats. Compared to the surface water, higher level of antibiotic resistant bacteria and the antibiotic resistance genes are often detected in wastewater. Methicillin-Resistant s. aureus is a worldwide problem but the knowledge is limited about occurrence in clinical and nonclinical environments of the developing countries.
