[Nasal carriage of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in healthy children from Chengdu].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the prevalence of nasal carriage of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) in healthy children from Chengdu.


METHODS
Strains of Staphylococcus aureus were isolated from nasal swabs of healthy children from five kindergartens in Chengdu from September, 2005 to December, 2005 and questionnaires were obtained. Antibiotic susceptibility test was performed with agar disk diffusion and Bauer-Kirby on Mueller-Hinton medium method to determine CA-MRSA. mecA and PVL genes were detected with PCR in all of the CA-MRSA isolates.


RESULTS
A total of 801 children were enrolled. Overall 147 children (18.4%) were carried with Staphylococcus aureus and 9 (1.1%) were carried with CA-MRSA. All CA-MRSA isolates were positive for mecA gene, and 5 CA-MRSA isolates were positive for PVL gene. Of the 9 CA-MRSA isolates, 6 were multiresistant.


CONCLUSIONS
CA-MRSA nasal colonization is present among Chengdu healthy children. The CA-MRSA isolates are multiresistant and parts of CA-MRSA isolates carry PVL gene. The nasal carriage of CA-MRSA in healthy children should be a concerned issue.
Department of Pediatrics, West China Second Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
Juan
J
Fan
Wei
W
Zhou
Min
M
Shu
Jian-Jun
JJ
Deng
Yu
Y
Zhu
Si-Yan
SY
Deng
Qin
Q
Guo
Chao-Min
CM
Wan
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002353:Carrier State / Q000382:microbiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009666:Nose / Q000382:microbiology*; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; C487789:mecA protein, Staphylococcus aureus