Nasal screening of healthcare workers for nasal carriage of coagulase positive MRSA and prevalence of nasal colonization with Staphylococcus aureus

*Corresponding Author: [email protected] Abstract The aim of the study was to screening for coagulase positive methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in healthcare workers and prevalence of nasal colonization with Staphylococcus aureus. We included 84 healthcare workers’ samples (nasal swabs) in the study. Different biochemical tests were done to isolate Staphylococcus aureus. Species confirmation for Staphylococcus aureus was done using the tube coagulase test and DNase test. Antibiotic susceptibility pattern for MRSA was done by Kirby – Bauer disk diffusion method. Coagulase positive Staphylococcus aureus were subjected to oxacillin agar screen method to screen for MRSA. Out of 84 healthcare workers’ samples 66(78.6%) were positive for S.aureus and 18(21.4%) showed no isolation of S.aureus. Out of 66 S.aureus isolates, 40(60.6%) was Coagulase positive Staphylococcus aureus (CoPS) and 26(39.3%) were Coagulase negative Staphylococcus aureus (CoNS). Out of total 40 isolates of Coagulase positive Staphylococcus aureus (CoPS), 18(45%) were found to be resistant to methicillin and 22(55%) CoPS isolates were methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). The nasal carriage of CoPS in healthcare workers was seen to be 33(82.5%) doctors and 7(17.5%) lab technicians. The nasal carriage of coagulase positive MRSA in healthcare workers were observed to be 15(83.3%) doctors and 3(16.6%) lab technicians. The study showed that out of total specimens collected from healthcare workers, doctors and lab technicians were carrier for MRSA. The highest percentage of nasal carriage of coagulase positive MRSA among healthcare workers was observed to be among the doctors and less percentage in lab technicians. Screening should be made an essential protocol to assess the carrier transmitted drug resistant strains of Staphylococci from the community to the hospital settings and hospital settings to community.