Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage among healthcare workers in Kisangani, the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a global health concern, but there are few data from Central Africa. The objective of our study was to characterise S. aureus colonisation isolates from healthcare-exposed professionals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Healthcare workers and medical students (n = 380) in Kisangani, DRC were screened for S. aureus nasal carriage in a single-centre cross-sectional study in the University Hospital of Kisangani. The isolates were identified and characterised using phenotypic and genotypic methods. The nasal carriage rate of S. aureus was 16.6 % and 10 out of 63 isolates (15.9 %) were MRSA. We found 28 different spa types. Most MRSA isolates belonged to ST8-spa t1476-SCCmec V. The majority of MRSA were multidrug-resistant to non-beta-lactam antibiotics. Overall, 28.5 % of S. aureus carried Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL)-encoding genes (all methicillin-sensitive) and 17.5 % carried toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1)-encoding genes. The finding of MRSA carriage among healthcare workers in a setting with limited access to diagnostic microbiology and appropriate therapy calls for improved education on infection control practices and supports the introduction of surveillance programmes.
Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM), Nationalestraat 155, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium, hdeboeck@itg.be.
H
H
De Boeck
S
S
Vandendriessche
M
M
Hallin
B
B
Batoko
J-P
JP
Alworonga
B
B
Mapendo
C
C
Van Geet
N
N
Dauly
O
O
Denis
J
J
Jacobs
D000328:Adult; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo / Q000453:epidemiology; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000235:genetics; D005098:Exotoxins / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006282:Health Personnel; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007956:Leukocidins / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058889:Molecular Typing; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013337:Students, Medical; D018089:Superantigens / Q000235:genetics; D055815:Young Adult
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; D005098:Exotoxins; D007956:Leukocidins; C078284:Panton-Valentine leukocidin; D018089:Superantigens; C030107:enterotoxin F, Staphylococcal