[Nasal carriage of community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus and drug sensitivity tests in healthy children in Chengdu].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate nasal carriage of community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus and its drug sensitivities in healthy children in Chengdu.


METHODS
Nasal swabs were collected from healthy children from primary schools and kindergartens in Chengdu in two stages (2005-2007 and 2008-2010). All specimens were cultivated. Once S. aureus was identified, drug susceptibility tests (disk diffusion method) were performed with penicillin, erythromycin, clindamycin, ceftazidime and vancomycin.


RESULTS
430 S. aureus were identified from 2373 specimens, with a positive rate of 18.12%. Resistant to penicillin was found in 90% of tests. The isolated S. aureus was also resistant (6.28%) to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The first stage identified higher rate of MRSA than the second stage (4.28% versus 9.25%, P = 0.037). Isolates from children living in cities were more likely to be resistant to cefoxitin than isolates from children living in countryside (14.74% versus 2.56%, P = 0.006) in the second stage. We did not find vancomycin-resistant S. aureus.


CONCLUSIONS
Nasal carriage of S. aureus among healthy children in Chengdu is common and the nasal carried S. aureus is highly resistant to commonly used antibiotics.
Department of Pediatrics, West China Second Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
Jian-jun
JJ
Deng
Chao-min
CM
Wan
De-zhi
DZ
Mu
Wei
W
Zhou
Ai-li
AL
Xu
Juan
J
Fan
Min
M
Su
Min
M
Shu
D000293:Adolescent; D002353:Carrier State / Q000382:microbiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D046508:Culture Techniques; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009296:Nasal Cavity / Q000382:microbiology*; D010403:Penicillin Resistance; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification*