Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus: Frequency and antibiotic resistance in healthy adults

Farzin Khorvash, Fatemeh Abdi, Behrooz Ataei, Hamed Fattahi Neisiani, Hessam Hassanzadeh Kashani, Tahmineh Narimani

Abstract


  • BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the frequency of nasal carriage and antibiotic susceptibility profile of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) among healthy young adults who referred to premarital screening clinics.
  • METHODS: A crosssectional study including 158 adults (79 men and 79 women) was conducted at health care centers, Isfahan, Iran, during February- August 2008. Nasal swabs from anterior nares of healthy adults were cultured and tested for S. aureus. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed on Muller-Hinton Agar using disc diffusion method according to Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI).
  • RESULTS: The prevalence of S. aureus nasal carriage was 26.6%. Resistance to penicillin had the highest rate. The isolates demonstrated higher sensitivity to vancomycin, clindamycin, and rifampicin. In addition, twenty-two S. aureus isolates had intermediate resistance to antibiotics.
  • CONCLUSIONS: The importance of implementing strategies to eliminate nasal carriage of S. aureus to prevent the spread of infection is highlighted. Effective strategies in this field are thus strongly recommended.
  • KEYWORDS: Staphylococcus Aureus, Nasal Carriage, Antibiotic Resistance

Keywords


S. aureus, Nasal Carriage, Antibiotic Resistance

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