Authors : Archana Rao K, Archana Rao K, Yashaswini M K, Yashaswini M K, Sangeetha S, Sangeetha S
DOI : 10.18231/j.ijmmtd.2019.042
Volume : 5
Issue : 4
Year : 2019
Page No : 184-187
Introduction: Carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in the web spaces and anterior nares among the health
care workers is a substantial source of human infections. Screening, detection and treatment of such carriers
is an important modality in prevention of infections. Colonized health workers especially in teaching
hospitals may subsequently develop clinical infections and act as reservoirs for infection among vulnerable
individuals.
Objectives: Screening of the nursing staff from various departments including critical and non critical
areas, identification and speciation of staphylococcus and determining its resistance to cefoxitin and
Mupirocin.
Materials and Methods: The study was done in the department of Microbiology, Rajarajeswari medical
college and hospital, Bangalore, Karnataka. Two swabs were collected from each health care personnel,
one swab from anterior nares and other from the web spaces. Swabs were streaked on to blood agar and
MacConkey agar plate and incubated at 37?C for 48hours. Identification done by standard protocols.
Susceptibility to cefoxitin and mupirocin was done by Kirby- baeur disc diffusion method. MIC of
mupirocin was done E-test method.
Results: A total of 200 nursing staff was screened during the study period. Majority of the cultures yielded
Coagulase negative staphylococcus followed by no growth from the anterior nares. From the web spaces
majority yielded no growth. Out of 78 CONS that were isolated 72 were sensitive to cefoxitin and 8 were
resistant. Out of 24 isolated Staphylococcus aureus isolates 20 isolates were sensitive and 4 were resistant
to cefoxitin. The MIC values of the four methicillin resistant Staphylococc us aureus were 0.38, 0.25, 0.25,
0.19 which were reported as sensitive strains.
Keywords: MRSA, Staphylococcus aureus, Mupirocin, Nasal carriers, Webspaces, Screening nursing staff.