title: Nasal Carriage and Resistance Pattern of Multidrug Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Among Healthy Children in Kashan, Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus is a substantial source of human infections. Detection and treatment of nasal carriage in children with methicillin-resistant and multidrug resistant S. aureus (MRSA and MDRSA, respectively) may be an important modality in prevention of infections.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study determined the prevalence, antibiotic resistance patterns and risk factors for nasal carriage of MDRSA among healthy children.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study was carried out on 350 one-month to 14-year-old healthy children in Kashan city, Iran. From all health-care centers, four were chosen by simple random sampling. Nasal samples were cultured in blood agar medium for S. aureus and antibiotic susceptibility profile was determined by disc diffusion and E-test. Risk factors for nasal carriage of MDRSA were also determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 92 (26.3%) S. aureus isolates were obtained, of which 33 (35.9%) were MRSA and 27 (29.3%) were MDRSA. Of MRSA strains, 19 (70.4%) were MDRSA. S. aureus isolates showed 52.2% resistance to cephalothin, 33.7% to co-trimoxazole, 26.1% to clindamycin, 26.1% to ciprofloxacin, 4.3% to vancomycin, and 35.9% to oxacillin. The risk factors for nasal carriage of MDRSA were antibiotic usage during the last three months (P = 0.006), family size of more than four members (P = 0.044), and parental smoking (P = 0.045).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MDRSA was not uncommon among healthy children in Kashan and prevention of its spread in the population is judicious.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Mahzad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Erami
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Babak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Soltani
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Abbas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taghavi Ardakani
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Trauma Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moravveji
authors.affiliation: Trauma Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Mostafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haji Rezaei
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Siamak
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soltani
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Rezvan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moniri
keywords: Carriers; Child; Healthy; Multidrug Resistance; Nasal; Staphylococcus aureus