Prevalence of Nasal Staphylococcus aureus Colonization amongst Medical Students of Igbinedion University Okada

Abstract

Background: Epidemiological data of Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) prevalence among students is relatively few. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of S. Aureus and MRSA nasal colonization among healthy students. Method: One hundred and twenty nasal samples were collected from healthy students without symptoms of nasal infections and analysed by standard microbiological techniques. A study questionnaire was administered comprising the demographic information of each student. Results: Of the 120  nasal specimens, S. aureus was isolated in 80 (66.6%) with high colonization rate among Medical Laboratory Science students and 39 (48.8%) identified as MRSA with colonization rate found to be higher among medical laboratory science students (Medical Laboratory Science vs Pharmacy: 76.9% VS. 23.1%) and females found to have a higher prevalence of MRSA than males (female vs  male: 64.1% vs. 35.9%) and Students within the age group of 18-20 years had the highest prevalence of MRSA of 76.9%. S. aureus in this study was observed to be most susceptible to amoxicillin (81.5%) and least susceptible to Ceftazidime (6.2%). Conclusion: The study revealed high MRSA colonization among students. Personal hygiene and prudent use of antibiotics should be encouraged. Further studies are recommended to evaluate the findings.