Prevalence and Antibiogram of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Nasal Carriage among Apparently Healthy University Staff and Students in Kaduna, Nigeria

Abstract

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been frequently implicated in healthcare-associated infections. Hence, the objective of this paper was to investigate the prevalence and antibiogram of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nasal carriage among apparently healthy University staff and students in Kaduna, Nigeria. A total of 250 nasal swab samples were collected alongside demographic data. Gram staining and biochemical tests were carried out to identify the Staphylococcus aureus. Methicillin-resistance was determined phenotypically using cefoxitin disc. Antibiotics susceptibility testing of the MRSA isolates was carried out using agar diffusion method and the multidrug resistance determined. Out of the 250 nasal samples collected, 41 (16.4%) were confirmed to be S. aureus, out of which 25(61.0%) were methicillin resistant. Students from Faculties of Science and Medicine harboured higher percentages of MRSA (69.2% and 60.0%, respectively) in their nasal cavity. Gentamicin (84%) and ciprofloxacin (72%) were the most active antibacterial agents against the MRSA isolates. High level of resistance was recorded amongst the MRSA isolates to amoxicillin (80.0%), cotrimoxazole (52.0%), erythromycin (32.0%) and streptomycin (32.0%).Multidrug resistance was recorded in 48% of the MRSA isolates. In conclusion, there was a high prevalence of MRSA (61.0%) among Staff and students of Kaduna State University. Irrational use of antibiotics especially in the community and without prescription might be responsible for this.