ABSTRACT:

This research aimed to isolate and identify Staphylococcus aureus and Candida species from throat infections, as well as assess their antibiotic resistance. Samples were collected from both infected patients and healthy individuals, encompassing various ages and genders, in hospitals of Najaf province between December 2022 and March 2023. The findings revealed that S. aureus constituted 36.10% of isolates, followed by S. warneri at 22.81%, and S. lugdunensis at 15.29%. Notably, S. aureus isolates displayed 100% resistance to Penicillin (P), Aztreonam (ATM), and Oxacillin (OX), Amoxicillin (AMC) and Tetracycline (TE) exhibiting resistance rates of 81.95% and 78.19%, respectively. The study concluded that S. aureus was the predominant strain, followed by S. warneri. Antibiotic susceptibility testing on all S. aureus isolates (n=21) was conducted using seven selected antibiotics. Candida species identified included Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, and Candida glabrata, with maximum resistance observed against fluconazole (FLU) and polymyxin B (PB), followed by miconazole (MCL).

KEYWORDS:

Staphylococcus aureus, Candida, throat infections

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