Characterization ofStaphylococcus aureusIsolates That Colonize Medical Students in a Hospital of the City of Cali, Colombia

Abstract

Introduction. Nasal carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) represents a risk for the spread of bacteria. This study characterized the S. aureus isolated from medical students, who were in their clinical rotation at a hospital in the city of Cali. Materials and Methods. 216 students participated in the study and 63 isolates of S. aureus were evaluated for susceptibility and PCR amplification of agr and mecA genes. The origin of MRSA isolates was established by analyzing agr polymorphisms. Results. A total of 29.2% of students were colonized by S. aureus and nasal carriage rate was 23.6% and 14.3% MRSA. Three agr groups (agr II, and agr III) were identified; the agr I group was the most common, with a 35% prevalence; this group is from community origin. Conclusion. The present study demonstrates that medical students carry S. aureus strains, with the threat of spreading them both to community and hospital environments.

Hospital clones of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus are carried by medical students even before healthcare exposure

“…Although non-MDR phenotype of MRSA is commonly described among CA-MRSA strains, this phenotype was also common among SCC mec IV, t032 isolates from Israeli hospitals with relatively low clindamycin resistance rates [1, 2, 40]. Our findings differ from other reports of MRSA in medical students: predominantly CA-MRSA clones (as suggested by the authors) were isolated from medical students in China, Serbia, Canada, Colombia and Taiwan, suggesting these countries have a different MRSA epidemiology [15, 19, 21, 24, 28, 29]. …”

Molecular characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from nasal samples of sixth year medical students during their pediatric services practices

“…In another study published in 2018, 200 medical students were included, MRSA colonization was 2%, SCC mec type I and III were more prevalent [ 20 ]. Collazos et al found that, nasal S. aureus colonization rate was 23.6% in 216 medical students and MRSA colonization was 14.3%, compared to our study it was more prevalent [ 21 ].…”

Colonization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among healthcare students: an integrative review

“…3,5,7, Regarding the locations of the studies, they were carried out in Brazil, Malaysia, Colombia, China, Palestine, Spain, Brunei, India, Turkey, Czech Republic, Saudi Arabia, Madagascar, Pakistan, Nepal, Tanzania, South Korea, Iran, Ireland, Jordan, Italy, Nigeria, Poland and Ethiopia. 3,5,7,11,12,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37] The populations addressed by the researchers of these 30 studies were nursing students, medical students, health science students and dental students. 3,5,7,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18]20,21,[23][24][25]27,[29]…”

“…3,5,7,11,12,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37] The populations addressed by the researchers of these 30 studies were nursing students, medical students, health science students and dental students. 3,5,7,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18]20,21,[23][24][25]27,[29][30][33][34][35][36][37] Two studies involved students from more than one undergraduate course.…”