Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus: Frequency and antibiotic resistance in healthy adults

This study aimed to determine the frequency of nasal carriage and antibiotic susceptibility profile of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) among healthy young adults who referred to premarital screening clinics. METHODS: A cross-sectional study including 158 adults (79 men and 79 women) was conducted at health care centers, Isfahan, Iran, during February-August 2008. Nasal swabs from anterior nares of healthy adults were cultured and tested for S. aureus. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed on Muller-Hinton Agar using disc diffusion method according to Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). RESULTS: The prevalence of S. aureus nasal carriage was 26.6%. Resistance to penicillin had the highest rate. The isolates demonstrated higher sensitivity to vancomycin, clindamycin, and rifampicin. In addition, twenty-two S. aureus isolates had intermediate resistance to antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: The importance of implementing strategies to eliminate nasal carriage of S. aureus to prevent the spread of infection is highlighted. Effective strategies in this field are thus strongly recommended.