Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage among medical students of Jimma University, Southwest Ethiopia

Abstract

ObjectivesInfections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are often difficult to manage due to its resistance to multiple antibiotics. This study aimed to determine the nasal carriage of MRSA and its antimicrobial susceptibility patterns among medical students at the Jimma University medical center (JUMC), Southwest Ethiopia.MethodsAn institution based cross-sectional study was conducted at the JUMC from May to August; 2016. A total of 371 participants were systematically selected. Demographic data was collected using pre-designed questionnaire. Nasal swabs were collected following standard microbiological methods. MRSA was detected using cefoxitin (30μg) disc (Oxoid, UK); and antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed by disc diffusion method.ResultsA total of 371 students were included. Of these, 84.9% (315/371) were males. The overall prevalence of nasal carriage of S. aureus and MRSA among medical students at JUMC were 22.1% (82/371) and 8.4 % (31/371), respectively. The carriage rate of MRSA among medical intern (20% (16/80)) was higher compared with clinical year-I (3.6% (6/166)) and year-II (7.2% (9/125)) students. Resistance against trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline and ciprofloxacin were 83.9%, 64.5% and 51.6%, respectively. Longer stay in hospital was significantly associated with the acquisition of MRSA (X2 = 6.93, P value = 0.031).ConclusionThe prevalence of nasal carriage of MRSA was high. Longer stay in hospital environment was associated with the acquisition of MRSA. These findings suggest that infection control efforts focusing the performance of antimicrobial stewardship could have a significant impact on MRSA incidence in this setting.

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Nasal Carriage among Janitors Working in Hospital and Non-Hospital Areas: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

“…The prevalence of nasal carriage S. aureus in this study was 23.2%. This was consistent with those studies conducted among medical students in Jimma, Ethiopia (22.1%) [12], and poor urban community of San Francisco, USA (22.8%) [13]. However, it was higher than the results of studies reported among janitors working in the hospital and non-hospital areas in Mekelle, Ethiopia (17.9%) [10] and Taiwan (15.3%) [14].…”

“…However, it was higher than the results of studies reported among janitors working in the hospital and non-hospital areas in Mekelle, Ethiopia (17.9%) [10] and Taiwan (15.3%) [14]. The overall prevalence of nasal carriage of MRSA in this study (4.8%) was in agreement with a study conducted in Mekelle, Ethiopia (6.25%) [10]; on the contrary, this nding was lower than the results of the studies conducted in Dessie, Ethiopia (12.7%) [15], Jimma, Ethiopia (8.4%) [12] and Gaza strips, Palestine (22.6%) [16]. But, higher than the results of the studies conducted in Taiwan (2.7%) [14] and Madagascar (1.3%) [17].…”

“…Besides, MRSA strains were differentiated from MSSA strains using cefoxitin (30µg) disc, S.aureus with a zone of inhibition of 21mm was considered to be MRSA phenotypically [11]. Multidrug resistance (MDR) is de ned as the resistance of an isolate to three and more antimicrobial classes [12].…”

Nasal Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage and related risk factors in university student population

“…S. aureus nasal carriage rates remarkably vary among different populations; however, our rates are comparable with other reports with similar study samples [16][17][18] . Studies focusing on university students have reported MRSA prevalence in a range between 1.5% and 13% [18][19][20][21][22] . Most studies have investigated medical students, which are characteristically a narrower population with low MRSA carriage rates [18,19] .…”

“…Studies focusing on university students have reported MRSA prevalence in a range between 1.5% and 13% [18][19][20][21][22] . Most studies have investigated medical students, which are characteristically a narrower population with low MRSA carriage rates [18,19] . In our sample pool, the MRSA carriage rate is much lower in contrast to rates reported for general community as students represent a younger and healthier population.…”