title: Nasal carriage rate of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus among at National Medical College Teaching Hospital, Birgunj, Nepal.
abstract: Present study was conducted to assess the nasal carriage rate of methicilin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among patients, visitors/patient attendants and healthcare personnel at National Medical College Teaching Hospital, Birgunj, Nepal. A total of 112 nasal swabs (patients: 31, visitors/patient attendants: 61, and healthcare personnel: 20) were subjected to bacteriological investigation following standard protocol. S. aureus isolates were identified by mannitol fermentation and coagulase positivity. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed by Kirby-Bauer's disc diffusion method on Muller-Hinton agar medium. S. aureus was isolated in 14 (12.5%) of participants (M: 11.3%, F: 13.6%). Highest nasal colonization rate was found among healthcare personnel (25.0%) followed by the visitors/patient attendants (13.1%) and the patients (3.2%) (P>0.05). Highest positive rate was observed in the age group d"14 years (33.3%), followed by 15 to 50 years (13.2%) and >50 years (5.6%) (P>0.05). Out of 14 S. aureus isolates, 57.1% were methicillin resistant, prevalence rate of MRSA among total subjects being 7.1%. MRSA prevalence rate were 5.6% and 8.5% in total male and female participants, respectively (P>0.05). Highest MRSA prevalence rate was among health-care personnel (10.0%), followed by visitors/patient attendants (8.2%) and the patients (3.2%) (P>0.05). All MRSA isolates were resistant to Ampicillin, followed by Cephalexin (37.5%), Ciprofloxacin (37.5%), Tetracycline (37.5%), Gentamycin (25.0%), Erythromycin (0.0%) and Vancomycin (0.0%). High rate of nasal MRSA carriage rate found in this study indicates the need for standard infection control to prevent MRSA transmission.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, National Medical College and Teaching Hospital, Birgunj, Nepal. bikashshaky@gmail.com
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shakya
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shrestha
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mitra
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009390:Nepal; D009666:Nose / Q000382:microbiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D055815:Young Adult