Risk factors assessment for nasal colonization of Staphylococcus aureus and its methicillin resistant strains among pre-clinical medical students of Nepal

Abstract

BackgroundStaphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), a normal flora of nasal cavity, can cause minor to life threatening invasive diseases and nosocomial infections. Methicillin resistant strains of S. aureus are causing a great challenge for treatment options. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the nasal carriage rate of S. aureus, its methicillin resistant strains and risk factors in medical students prior to clinical exposure.MethodsThe bacterial growth of S. aureus from nasal swab culture was identified by using standard microbiological methods recommended by American Society for Microbiology. Modified Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method was used for antibiotic susceptibility testing and methicillin resistance was confirmed using cefoxitin and oxacillin disks. D-zone test method was used to determine the inducible clindamycin resistance.ResultsAmong 200 participants, nasal carriage of S. aureus was detected from 30 (15 %) subjects. Upper respiratory tract infections significantly (P < 0.05) contributed the carriage of S. aureus and their methicillin resistant strains. All of the isolates were reported to be susceptible to vancomycin and teicoplanin. S. aureus strains detected from 8 (4 %) students were confirmed to be methicillin resistant.ConclusionsThe result of our study demands for strict policy to screen all the students for nasal carriage of S. aureus and its MRSA strains to minimize the transmission of this organism from community to hospital settings.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage rate and molecular characterization of the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec among Syrian refugees in Iraq

“…MRSA rates were lower in males than in females. This is in agreement with studies conducted in Iraq (Assafi et al, 2015) and China (Xie et al, 2016), and in contrast to a study performed in Nepal (Ansari et al, 2016). In addition, the data from the present study revealed that age had no influence on the MRSA nasal colonization rate among local participants and Syrian refugees.…”

“…In addition, the data from the present study revealed that age had no influence on the MRSA nasal colonization rate among local participants and Syrian refugees. Similar results have been reported from studies in China (Lin et al, 2016;Xie et al, 2016) and Nepal (Ansari et al, 2016). Moreover, it was observed that the number of family members showed no association with nasal carriage colonization of MRSA.…”

“…Moreover, it was observed that the number of family members showed no association with nasal carriage colonization of MRSA. The same observation was reported in a study conducted in Nepal (Ansari et al, 2016). More studies are needed to investigate the associations between MRSA prevalence and the risk factors influencing its spread.…”

Phenotypic Detection of Β-Lactam Antibiotics, Methicillin and Inducible Clindamycin Resistance Among Bacterial Isolates in Patients with Otitis Externa

“…However, several studies from different countries, such as Nepal and Pakistan, showed that some strains of S. aureus were MRSA (28,29). Additionally, Asadullah from Pakistan and Appalaraju from India reported that 15.84% and 42.1% of MRSA strains were positive for inducible clindamycin resistance test.…”

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

“…Medical students seem to be no exception, as their clinical study environment involves various medical settings such as hospitals and community clinics, which may contribute to their carriage status. In a non-systematic review of the English literature we found several studies, conducted worldwide, investigating SA carriage among medical students (Table 1) [7–32]. These studies reported MRSA carriage rates of 0–5.4% and SA carriage rates of 14–45% (excluding a small study from India reporting a higher carriage rate and a study from Canada of dental students [12, 15]).…”