A comparative study of methicillin resistance and mupirocin resistance in <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> isolated from nasal swab of health care worker and community population.

Abstract

<i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (SA) carriage is a risk factor for staphylococcal disease. However, the carriage rates may vary by geography and profession. The aim was to determine SA nasal carriage rate and compare the prevalence of methicillin resistance and mupirocin resistance in SA isolated from health care worker and community population. Cross-sectional study was performed in the Microbiology Department from March 2024 to August 2024. Nasal swabs from 396 study participants including health care worker and community population, were processed. Methicillin and mupirocin resistance (low level and high level) based on disc diffusion was determined on SA isolates. It was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software v24.0. The overall nasal carriage rate for SA was 17.92% (71/396). Among these only nine were methicillin-sensitive SA and 62 harbored a methicillin-resistant <i>S. aureus</i> (MRSA). The SA nasal carriage rate in healthcare workers was 20.20% (40/198) whereas in the community population was 15.65% (31/198). The MRSA nasal carriage rate was 17.17% (34/198) and 14.14% (28/198) in health care workers and community populations, respectively. None of the SA isolates showed mupirocin resistance. SA carriage rate in anterior nares of healthy healthcare workers is higher as compared to community population. This indicates that health care worker should adhere to infection control practices more stringently. None of the SA isolates showed mupirocin resistance. This might point out that mupirocin is not being used for <i>Staphylococcus</i> decolonization of the nasal carriers.