Assessment of risk factors for nasal colonization of Staphylococcus aureus and their methicillin-resistant strains among Allied Health Sciences Students of Chandigarh

Staphylococcus aureus being a nasal commensal can cause minor to life threatening serious invasive diseases and it is the most common cause of nosocomial infections. Among Staphylococcus aureus , methicillin resistant strains are posing a great challenge for treatment options. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the nasal carriage rate of Staphylococcus aureus , their methicillin resistant strains and risk factors. Nasal swabs were cultured and the growth of Staphylococcus aureus was identified by standard microbiological methods recommended by American Society for Microbiology (ASM). Modified Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method was used for antibiotic susceptibility testing. Methicillin resistance was confirmed using cefoxitin and oxacillin disks. Inducible clindamycin resistance was identified using D-zone test. A questionnaire was collected from each of the participants for the assessment of risk factors. Out of 200 participants, nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus was detected from 30 (15%) subjects. Carriage of Staphylococcus aureus and their methicillin resistant strains was significantly associated with nasal diseases (P < 0.05). No isolates were found to be resistant to vancomycin and teicoplanin. Methicillin resistance was detected in 8 (4%) isolates. The result of our study indicates that the nasal carriage rate of Staphylococcus aureus is comparably high and it needs for the longitudinal surveillance to minimize the transmission of this organism from community to hospital settings.