Staphylococcus aureus nasal and hand carriage among students from a Portuguese health school

This study aims to compare the frequency of Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage among students from a Portuguese higher health school. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was also assayed in order to detect methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains among the isolates. Nasal swabs and fingerprints from 60 healthy nursing and pharmacy students were collected, followed by inoculation and incubation at 37 degrees C for 24 h. All suspected S. aureus isolates were identified by routine laboratory procedures. The susceptibility to antimicrobial agents (tetracycline, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole, oxacillin and vancomycin) of confirmed isolates was determined by a disc-diffusion method. Results showed 41.7% S. aureus colonisation among participants, and that the difference between nursing and pharmacy students was statistically significant. Antibiotic susceptibility testing demonstrated that S. aureus isolates showed variable sensitivity to antibiotics but, most importantly, were resistant to oxacillin and vancomycin. Although the frequency and prevalence of colonisation found is within the range previously described in healthy populations, increased resistance to antimicrobials and higher prevalence of MRSA among the student community was found.