Abstract
Nosocomial infections are normally hospital acquired. Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is very common and may be transmitted via a hand-to-nose route. The objective of the present study was to screen healthcare workers for the colonization of their nasal cavities with MRSA. The study group included hospital staff such as nurses, doctors, and technicians. The control group included university students. For isolation, nasal swabs were taken from the volunteers and cultured on mannitol salt agar media selective for S. aureus. Suspected colonies were confirmed by PCR using specific primers for the coagulase and mecA gene. Typing of the coagulase-positive strains was done using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). The results indicated an incidence rate of 76% among healthcare workers. This is in comparison with students who served as control and were negative for MRSA. Using RFLP, four different types of MRSA were confirmed. The results of this study are alarming. Effective control measures must be formulated and implemented to avoid indiscriminate use of antimicrobials and the spread of these infectious agents in the region.
Highlights
On conducting statistical analyses using the Chi square test, significant p values were noted for the burn unit and Intensive care unit (ICU) compared to outpatient department (OPD)
It is well known that the burn unit is a fertile environment for MRSA because of open wounds, frequent dressing changes requiring handling by multiple healthcare workers (HCW), the use of intraluminal devices, and the inherent immunocompromised status of burn patients [18]
In conclusion, our study on a limited population comparing healthcare workers who were constantly exposed to the pathogenic MRSA and students who were not exposed to the pathogen clearly shows that people in a healthcare setting are constantly at risk of acquiring, colonizing, and spreading MRSA
Summary
Results: The results indicated an incidence rate of 76% among healthcare workers This is in comparison with students who served as control and were negative for MRSA. Nosocomial infections are hospital acquired and caused by bacteria and/or other microorganisms. They may be endogenous, arising from an infectious agent present within a patient's body, or exogenous, transmitted from other sources within the hospital. Nonporous fomites were involved in a recent outbreak of CA-MRSA in California, where the duration of transmissibility was not accounted for In these CA-MRSA strains, different fomites caused contamination of the skin with MRSA, and transmission continued for many weeks after initial contamination [2].
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