Prevalence and Distribution of Staphylococcus aureus Virulence Enzymes Isolated from Clinical and Environmental Sources

Abstract
The goal of this study was to isolate and identify Staphylococcus aureus from clinical and environmental sources. This study also looked at the prevalence and distribution of different virulence enzymes among its isolates. For this objective, 65 samples were collected and dispersed among 50 distinct clinical samples and 15 environmental (soil, water, and air) samples. The results revealed that 20 bacterial isolates were S. aureus. The isolation rate was 30.76% from all samples, with 13 isolates 20% from a clinical source and 7 isolates 10.76% from an environmental source. The phenotypic detection of virulence enzymes revealed that all isolates, including environmental isolates, produced virulence enzymes (between two and six enzymes), indicating the clinical importance. The isolates produced virulence enzymes at different rates. The results revealed a clear rise in the rate of production of the enzymes: lecithinase and lipase producing at a rate of 95%, protease at 90%, urease at 80%, hemolysin at 60%, and beta-lactamase at 55%.