title: Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of nasal Staphylococcus aureus among Dessie Referral Hospital health care workers, Dessie, Northeast Ethiopia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Staphylococcus aureus is a major pathogen in skin and soft tissue infections. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is prevalent in most of the countries in which it is sought. MRSA is one of the important pathogens implicated in hospital-acquired infections. The main objectives of this study were to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of S. aureus isolates, the prevalence of MRSA, and the nasal carriage rate in healthy hospital staff members.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 118 health care workers (HCWs) were enrolled using a cross-sectional study design. Nasal swabs were collected and cultured on mannitol salt agar (MSA). The slide coagulase test was performed. Susceptibility testing was carried out on Mueller-Hinton agar using the modified Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method with 10 antibiotics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 118 HCWs, 34 had S. aureus and 15 had MRSA, with overall positivity rates of 28.8% and 12.7%, respectively. None of the S. aureus isolates were sensitive to penicillin. MRSA isolates were resistant to commonly available antibiotics. Only two (13.3%) of the nasal isolates were vancomycin-resistant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A high rate of nasal carriage and multidrug-resistant S. aureus was found in this study, indicating the need for standard infection control to prevent transmission in our health care setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia. Electronic address: agumas2000@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Agumas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shibabaw
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Tamrat
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abebe
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Adane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mihret
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002353:Carrier State; D003428:Cross Infection; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005002:Ethiopia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology; D062486:Public Health Surveillance; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Antibiotic susceptibility; Health care workers; Nasal carriage; Staphylococcus aureus