1. Nasal carriage rate, associated factors, and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of methicillin resistance Staphylococcus aureus among pre-clinical undergraduate students at the College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Ethiopia.
- Author
-
Weldegebreal F, Urgesa K, Ayele F, Bogale K, Shume T, Ahmed M, Debebe S, Tebeje F, Asmerom H, Tesfa T, and Mekonnen S
- Subjects
- Humans, Ethiopia epidemiology, Cross-Sectional Studies, Male, Female, Young Adult, Universities, Students statistics & numerical data, Anti-Bacterial Agents pharmacology, Adult, Adolescent, Prevalence, Risk Factors, Surveys and Questionnaires, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolation & purification, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus drug effects, Staphylococcal Infections epidemiology, Staphylococcal Infections microbiology, Microbial Sensitivity Tests, Carrier State microbiology
- Abstract
Background: Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage has been linked to higher rates of infection and morbidity. People with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus can be a potential source of infection for others. University students living together in crowded conditions increase their risk of acquiring infections. The prevalence of S. aureus , particularly Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage, in Ethiopian university students is sparse., Objective: This study aimed to determine the nasal carriage rate, associated factors, and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among pre-clinical students at the College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Ethiopia, from 1 July to 30 August 2022., Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 270 randomly selected pre-clinical Health and Medical Sciences students. Data on associated factors were collected using pre-tested, structured questionnaires. A nasal swab was taken from each participant and sent to the microbiology laboratory via Amies transport media in a cold chain. There, it was cultivated using conventional techniques. The isolated colonies were found to be S. aureus , and its antimicrobial susceptibility was performed using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method on Muller-Hinton agar. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus expressing using cefoxitin based on CLSI breakpoint. Data were entered into Epi-Data version 4.4.2.1 and exported to the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 25 for analysis. Pearson's chi-square test was performed to predict the associations between variables. A p -value less than 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant., Result: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage was 5.9% (95% CI: 3.09-8.7) of cases of S. aureus nasal colonization, which was found to be 12.96% (95% CI: 8.85-16.96). Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization was significantly associated with the history of cigarette smoking ( p = 0.000), intake of khat ( p = 0.042), nose-picking habit ( p = 0.003), history of sharing personal goods ( p = 0.021), and history of hospitalizations ( p = 0.00). All of the Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates were resistant to ampicillin and cefoxitin., Conclusion: Based on the findings, a considerable proportion of healthy students harbored Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains associated with behavioral factors. Furthermore, these isolates showed high resistance to cefoxitin and ampicillin. Hence, it is crucial to regularly test pre-clinical students to prevent endogenous infections and the spread of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Weldegebreal, Urgesa, Ayele, Bogale, Shume, Ahmed, Debebe, Tebeje, Asmerom, Tesfa and Mekonnen.)
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF