Aim: This study is carried out to determine the prevalence of nasal carriage of staphylococcus aureus among Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU) students and determine the antibiotics susceptibility pattern. Methods: Nasal swab specimens collected from the anterior nares were cultured on mannitol salt agar. S.aureus isolates were identified by mannitol fermentation, coagulase positivity and catalase positivity. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed on Meuller-Hinton Agar (MHA) by modified Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Result: Out of the 100 swabs collected, S.aureus was isolated from 60% of the samples. Among colonized students, 63.3% (n=38) were from male students whereas 36.7% (n=22) were from female. The antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the Staphylococcus aureus isolates indicates that Staphylococcus aureus isolates showed high rate of sensitivity towards antibiotics as follows; Gentamycin (81.67%), followed by Ciprofloxacin  (80%), Levofloxacin (76.67%), Ceftriaxone (58.33%), and resistance towards antibiotics Imipenem (100%) followed by Cefotaxime (90%), Cefexime (83.33%), Cefoxitin (65%), azithromycin (55%) and cefuroxime (50%). Conclusion: This study showed a high rate of nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus among MOUAU students and a high incidence of antibiotics resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage.

Aim: To determine the prevalence of multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from nasal cavity of MOUAU students. Methods: The nasal specimens were evaluated using standard microbiological techniques and methicillin resistance test was checked for all isolates of Staphylococcus species by the disc diffusion method. Results: A total of Eleven (11) Staphylococcus aureus isolates were obtained from forty (40) nasal samples of MOUAU students i.e. four (4) from female and seven (7) from male. This study also showed that the highest number and percentage of Staphylococcus aureus isolates was observed in the male nasal samples 7(30.4%), while the lowest isolate was recorded in female nasal samples 4(23.5%). About 21(52.5%) of the 40 samples showed no traces of Staphylococcus specie. However, the drug susceptibility profile of bacterial isolate from nasal samples reveals varying percentage of sensitivity and resistance to the antibiotics. From this study, Ofloxacin (5 mcg) and Gentamicin (10 mcg) exhibited high percentage of sensitivity against the Staphylococus isolates at 10(90.9%) each. Cefuroxime (30 mcg) and Ceftazidime (30 mcg) showed high level of resistance against the Staphylococcus aureus isolates at 11(100%). No resistance to Ofloxacin (5 mcg) was noted. This study also revealed that 72.7% of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from the nasal cavity of healthy male and female students of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), showed multiple resistance to the antibiotics used. Conclusion: This study highlights the need to discourage the misuse of antibiotics and to implement strategies that could help eliminate of nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus. This will help to prevent severe Staphylococcus aureus infections in our environments. Also, it was report that Ofloxacin (5 mcg) and Gentamicin (10 mcg) antibiotics could be an alternative choice to use and to control MRSA infection as an effective antibacterial agent.