Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in physician assistant students: initial prevalence and transmission during...

This study evaluated physician assistant (PA) students for nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus (prerotations) and then again just prior to graduation. It also attempted to correlate initial and subsequent sample results with subject-specific survey data relating to students' general medical, social, behavioral, and geographical situations.

Nasal swab cultures were self-collected using standardized techniques. Colonies suspicious for Staph underwent further workup to determine if Staphylococcus aureus was present.

Nine (eight females, one male) of 34 subjects (26.5%) were positive for Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) in the nares at baseline and all nine subjects remained positive during the second sampling. No subjects were found to have Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at baseline and no subjects were positive for MRSA during phase two sampling. Routine sharing of drinks from common glassware was identified in all positive subjects, while subjects negative for colonization reported only seldom or no participation in that activity (P < 0.001).

Clinical rotations did not appear to alter carriage status. However, a strong association between nasal carriage and participation in certain social behaviors was observed.