IC Value
Search
About Us
Authors
Reviewers
Editorial Board
Contact Us

Nasal carriage of methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa) among health care workers in a tertiary care hospital

Authors: B Srivalli, S.Ekyshwarya, C R Setty
Int J Biol Med Res. 2018; 9(2): 6348-6351  |  PDF File

Abstract

Aim and Background: The aim of this study was to detect the carrier rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among the health care workers (HCWs) in a tertiary care hospital and determine the antimicrobial susceptibility for topically used antimicrobial agents. Increasing number of infections are caused by MRSA strains in the hospitals. About 5% of HCW’s become colonized with MRSA and frequently act as vectors of transmission[1]. Methods: Nasal swabs from 200 healthcare workers were collected in the month of October 2017. These swabs were processed using standard laboratory techniques. Results: Of the samples of 200 HCWs we have collected, 52(26%) were nasal carriers of S. aureus and among them 17(32.7%) were carriers of MRSA. The overall carrier rate of MRSA was 8.5 %(17/200). All isolates were sensitive to bacitracin; 76.47 %(13/17) were sensitive and 23.5%(4/17) were resistant to minocycline; 82.35%(14/17) were sensitive and 17.6%(3/17) were resistant to mupirocin. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the need for active surveillance of HCWs to detect MRSA colonization and take appropriate measures. The carriers should be treated with topical mupirocin 3 times daily for 5 days for decolonization of MRSA.Strict adherence to infection control practices can limit the spread of MRSA infection by HCWs to susceptible individuals.