Master’s Thesis at Al-Nahrain College of Medicine Discusses Staphylococcal Resistance and the Role of Marjoram in Combating It
The Department of Microbiology at the College of Medicine, Al-Nahrain University, discussed the master’s thesis of student Neveen Hussein Hadi, entitled:
“Study of the Prevalence of Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci in Neonatal Sepsis with Detection of Virulence and Resistance Genes (icaA, agrI, and mecA) and Evaluation of the Antibiofilm Activity of Aqueous Extracts of Marjoram
(Origanum vulgare).”
The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) associated with neonatal bloodstream infections, examine their antibiotic resistance patterns with a focus on the mecA gene in multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant isolates, and determine their ability to form biofilms through detection of icaA and agrI genes. Additionally, the study evaluated the biological efficacy of Origanum vulgare against the bacteria and their biofilms.
The results showed that the overall positive bacterial culture rate was 69.33%, of which 20% were CoNS isolates. The most common species was Staphylococcus epidermidis (56.7%), followed by Staphylococcus haemolyticus (23.3%), Staphylococcus hominis (16.7%), and Staphylococcus lentus (3.3%). The isolates showed 100% resistance to penicillin, oxacillin, and azithromycin. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates accounted for 83.3%, and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) isolates for 16.7%. The agrI, icaA, and mecA genes were detected in 60%, 43.3%, and 36.7% of the isolates, respectively. Samples carrying icaA showed 53.8% biofilm activity, while agrI-positive isolates showed 55.4% biofilm activity. The presence of mecA was lower in XDR isolates compared to MDR. The marjoram extract demonstrated antibacterial activity against CoNS but showed no significant effect on biofilms.
The discussion committee consisted of:
Prof. Dr. Azhar Abdul Fattah Ibrahim – Chairman
Prof. Dr. Shatha Hussein Ali – Member
Prof. Dr. Alaa Salem Hamza – Member
Prof. Dr. Thanaa Rasheed Abdul Rahman – Member & Supervisor
The thesis was successfully accepted with a grade of Excellent.
Division of Media and Government Communication
College of Medicine – Al-Nahrain University
