Prevalence of Nasal Staphylococcus aureus Colonization amongst Medical Students of Igbinedion University Okada

Background: Epidemiological data of Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) prevalence among students is relatively few. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of S. Aureus and MRSA nasal colonization among healthy students.

Method: One hundred and twenty nasal samples were collected from healthy students without symptoms of nasal infections and analysed by standard microbiological techniques. A study questionnaire was administered comprising the demographic information of each student.

Results: Of the 120 nasal specimens, S. aureus was isolated in 80 (66.6%) with high colonization rate among Medical Laboratory Science students and 39 (48.8%) identified as MRSA with colonization rate found to be higher among medical laboratory science students (Medical Laboratory Science vs Pharmacy: 76.9% VS. 23.1%) and females found to have a higher prevalence of MRSA than males (female vs male: 64.1% vs. 35.9%) and Students within the age group of 18-20 years had the highest prevalence of MRSA of 76.9%. S. aureus in this study was observed to be most susceptible to amoxicillin (81.5%) and least susceptible to Ceftazidime (6.2%).

Conclusion: The study revealed high MRSA colonization among students. Personal hygiene and prudent use of antibiotics should be encouraged. Further studies are recommended to evaluate the findings.