title: Isolation and screening of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from health care workers in Libyan hospitals.
abstract: This is the largest Libyan study to date to investigate the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among health care workers in Tripoli, Libya. A total of 569 doctors and nurses from 4 main hospitals were screened for MRSA with specimens collected from the anterior nares. Isolates from 109 of the 569 subjects (19%) were confirmed as MRSA by polymerase chain reaction assay; the majority (98/109) were from a general hospital. Antimicrobial resistance patterns tested by disk diffusion were as follows: erythromycin (74%), ciprofloxacin (77%), clindamycin (20%), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (50%), quinuprisin/dalfopristin (19%), vancomycin (12%) and mupirocin (5%). Eighteen isolates exhibited macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B resistance (MLSB): 6 were MLSBi and 12 were MLSBc. The results provide evidence that Libyan health care workers could serve as MRSA carriers and play a role in the dissemination of MRSA to the public and other workers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, Libya. a.mo@live.com
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Elramalli
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Amri
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Abuzweda
authors.forename: Y M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Abouzeed
mesh_terms: D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D017757:Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008002:Libya / Q000453:epidemiology; D008403:Mass Screening; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*