AUTHOR=Weldegebreal Fitsum , Urgesa Kedir , Ayele Firayad , Bogale Kasahun , Shume Taddese , Ahmed Mohammed , Debebe Sileshi , Tebeje Fikru , Asmerom Haftu , Tesfa Tewodros , Mekonnen Shambel 

TITLE=Nasal carriage rate, associated factors, and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of methicillin resistance Staphylococcus aureus among pre-clinical undergraduate students at the College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Ethiopia

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1354461

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2024.1354461

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=<sec id="sec1"><title>Background</title><p><italic>Staphylococcus aureus</italic> nasal carriage has been linked to higher rates of infection and morbidity. People with Methicillin-resistant <italic>Staphylococcus aureus</italic> can be a potential source of infection for others. University students living together in crowded conditions increase their risk of acquiring infections. The prevalence of <italic>S. aureus</italic>, particularly Methicillin-resistant <italic>Staphylococcus aureus</italic> nasal carriage, in Ethiopian university students is sparse.</p></sec><sec id="sec2"><title>Objective</title><p>This study aimed to determine the nasal carriage rate, associated factors, and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of methicillin-resistant <italic>Staphylococcus aureus</italic> among pre-clinical students at the College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Ethiopia, from 1 July to 30 August 2022.</p></sec><sec id="sec3"><title>Methods</title><p>An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 270 randomly selected pre-clinical Health and Medical Sciences students. Data on associated factors were collected using pre-tested, structured questionnaires. A nasal swab was taken from each participant and sent to the microbiology laboratory via Amies transport media in a cold chain. There, it was cultivated using conventional techniques. The isolated colonies were found to be <italic>S. aureus</italic>, and its antimicrobial susceptibility was performed using the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method on Muller–Hinton agar. Methicillin-resistant <italic>Staphylococcus aureus</italic> expressing using cefoxitin based on CLSI breakpoint. Data were entered into Epi-Data version 4.4.2.1 and exported to the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 25 for analysis. Pearson’s chi-square test was performed to predict the associations between variables. A <italic>p</italic>-value less than 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant.</p></sec><sec id="sec4"><title>Result</title><p>Methicillin-resistant <italic>Staphylococcus aureus</italic> nasal carriage was 5.9% (95% CI: 3.09–8.7) of cases of <italic>S. aureus</italic> nasal colonization, which was found to be 12.96% (95% CI: 8.85–16.96). Methicillin-resistant <italic>Staphylococcus aureus</italic> nasal colonization was significantly associated with the history of cigarette smoking (<italic>p</italic> = 0.000), intake of khat (<italic>p</italic> = 0.042), nose-picking habit (<italic>p</italic> = 0.003), history of sharing personal goods (<italic>p</italic> = 0.021), and history of hospitalizations (<italic>p</italic> = 0.00). All of the Methicillin-resistant <italic>Staphylococcus aureus</italic> isolates were resistant to ampicillin and cefoxitin.</p></sec><sec id="sec5"><title>Conclusion</title><p>Based on the findings, a considerable proportion of healthy students harbored Methicillin-resistant <italic>Staphylococcus aureus</italic> strains associated with behavioral factors. Furthermore, these isolates showed high resistance to cefoxitin and ampicillin. Hence, it is crucial to regularly test pre-clinical students to prevent endogenous infections and the spread of Methicillin-resistant <italic>Staphylococcus aureus</italic>.</p></sec>