Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus among undergraduate medical students: Prevalence and antibiogram including methicillin resistance, inducible clindamycin resistance, and high-level mupirocin resistance

Abstract

Background: Treatment of infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus has become more problematic since the development of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Medical students carrying S. aureus can be a potential source of infection to the patients. The anterior nares have been shown to be the main reservoir of S. aureus in both children and adults. Hence, the study was carried out to find out the prevalence of nasal carriage of S. aureus and its antimicrobial resistance pattern in undergraduate medical students. Materials and Methods: Nasal swabs of undergraduate medical students were collected aseptically and cultured using standard microbiological methods. Antibiotic susceptibility was done by disc diffusion method as per the CLSI guidelines. Results: The prevalence of S. aureus nasal carriage was 16%. The prevalence of MRSA and inducible clindamycin resistance was 5% and 3.5%, respectively. No isolate showed high-level mupirocin resistance. Interpretation and Conclusions: Nasal carriage of S. aureus is a major threat for public health and required surveillance.