Nasal Carriage of Staphylococcus aureus and Associated Risk Factors among Students in a Nigerian University
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Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus has been associated with subsequent infection and transmission within the hospital and
community settings. This study was carried out to evaluate the carriage rates of S. aureus in a University student population and
describe risk factors associated with the carriage. Two-hundred and seventy-seven nasal samples were obtained from healthy volunteer
students and screened for S. aureus by standard microbiological techniques. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was conducted on
the bacterial isolates by the disk diffusion technique. A questionnaire was conducted with each student to acquire demographic and
risk factor information. One hundred and fifty-seven (56.7%) isolates were identified as S. aureus. Antibiotic resistance was highest
for cloxacillin (91%), ceftazidime (71%), cotrimoxazole (23%), erythromycin (20%) and oxacillin (16%). Risk factors such as hospitalization
in the past 12 months, recent skin infection and participation in sports were significantly associated with carrier status.
High resistance to certain antibiotics observed in this study shows that nasal colonization could serve as a reservoir of antibiotic
resistant strains within the community.
Keywords
Q Science (General), QH301 Biology