Nasal Carriage of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Among Paramedical Students at Pokhara University, Nepal

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been the most common cause of community-acquired infections and nosocomial infections worldwide. A higher risk of nosocomial infections is associated with colonization of the anterior nares of paramedical trainees who are continuously exposed to MRSA. The purpose of this study is to ascertain the prevalence of MRSA nasal carriage in paramedical students, as well as the antibiogram and inducible clindamycin resistance patterns.

Nasal swabs were taken from 246 paramedical students enrolled in Pokhara University's School of Health and Allied Sciences in Nepal. Following the isolation of S. aureus from nasal swabs, bacteria were tested for antibiotic susceptibility using a modified Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion test. A cefoxitin disc (30 μg) was used to identify MRSA, and the D-test was carried out in accordance with CLSI standards. SPSS version 25 was utilized for data collection and analysis.

MRSA accounted for 80 (36.7%) of the 217 Staphylococcus aureus isolates, while 137 (63.3%) were methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA). The total nasal carriage rate of MRSA was reported to be 32.5% (80/246), and males (46.0%) and those over 30 years old (55.6%) had rates of MRSA that were higher, respectively. There were 112 (51.6%) multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates, but all isolates were vancomycin-sensitive. Inducible clindamycin resistance was found in 17.1% of isolates according to the D-test.

MRSA and S. aureus nasal carriage rates were high among paramedical students; therefore, care must be taken to prevent nosocomial infections brought on by MRSA nasal carriage.