High-Level Vancomycin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) in Iran: A Systematic Review

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen world wide. Vancomycin has been used for decades to treat multidrug resistant S. aureus. Ten years has passed since the first report of vancomycin re sistant S. aureus (VRSA). The objective of this systematic review was to determine the total number of VRSA isolates that have been reported from Iran. Methods: Search terms reflected “Iran”, “vancomycin” and “S. aureus” were searched in the ISI web of knowledge, PubMed, SciVerse, and Google scholar. Also two Persian scientific databases and 13 recent na tional congresses were investigated. Articles / abstracts working on S. aureus in Iran, evaluating vancomycin MIC and / or PCR of vanA/B were included in this systematic review. Results: Out of the 3484 records found in mentioned resources, 13 related studies were included in the final analysis. The result showed that at least 24 VRSA isolates which have been reported from Iran up to September 2012. Conclusion: It seems that many Iranian researchers did not follow a spe cific guideline for reporting and confirming VRSA. Establishing an Iranian reference center where studies on VRSA can be registered, evaluated and confirmed is strongly recommended.