Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen that causes various infectious diseases in both community and hospital environments. Its ability to colonize various body sites and acquire resistance genes has made it a global health concern. While many studies in Nigeria have explored the prevalence and clinical significance of S. aureus, there is still a paucity of data from the North-East region, especially Gombe State. This information gap complicates the development of effective prevention and control measures in the area. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of S. aureus in clinical samples from patients at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe, and to analyze the distribution of isolates across different clinical samples and gender. A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted from January to October 2025, involving the collection of 400 non-repetitive clinical samples from patients. Detection and identification were performed using cultures and biochemical tests, while molecular confirmation was achieved through a nuc-gene-targeted polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Of the 400 samples, 70 were confirmed to be S. aureus, indicating an overall prevalence of 17.5%. Wound infections accounted for the highest proportion of isolates (28.9%), followed by urine (21.4%), vaginal swabs (17.1%), blood (15.7%), seminal fluid (14.3%), and cerebrospinal fluid (2.9%). These differences were statistically significant. Among the 70 isolates, 39 (55.7%) were from males and 31 (44.3%) from females; however, the gender difference was not statistically significant. The findings of this study have revealed the prevalence and clinical patterns of Staphylococcus aureus in Gombe, Nigeria. Also, highlight the need for the relevant authorities to institute health education campaigns, antibiotic stewardship programs and infection prevention strategies to safe guard public health