NASAL CARRIAGE OF METHICILLIN RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS AMONG HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN HIGH RISK UNITS OF AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL, ZARIA

Abstract

Infections with Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have become a major
challenge to healthcare delivery, because of the difficulty in treating them. Carriage of this
multidrug resistant organism by individuals has been the means by which it persists in the
environment. Healthcare workers tend to become colonized due to their close contact to
patients and poor adherence to infection control. A descriptive cross-sectional study was
carried out aimed at determining the nasal carriage of MRSA among healthcare workers in
high risk units of ABUTH, Zaria as well as evaluating the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of
the isolates. Using stratified random sampling, a total of 427 nasal swabs were collected,
screened for MRSA using cefoxitin disk diffusion, then confirmed by testing for the mecA
gene product using latex agglutination test for PBP2a. The isolates were also assessed for
high and low level mupirocin resistance. Of the 427 health workers swabbed, 81 (19%) were
nasal carriers of S. aureus, among which 10 (12.3%) were MRSA, given an overall nasal
carriage of 2.3% for MRSA from the total population studied. Carriage was found mainly
among doctors and nurses, with the highest proportions from oncology and orthopaedic units.
Most (60%) of the MRSA isolates were multidrug resistant, but there was no case of high or
low mupirocin resistance. This low nasal carriage can further be reduced if mupirocin is
introduced for decolonization of carriers along with other infection control strategies.

NASAL CARRIAGE OF METHICILLIN RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS AMONG HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN HIGH RISK UNITS OF AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL, ZARIA