PREVALENCE OF COMMUNITY ACQUIRED NASAL CARRIAGE OF METHICILLIN RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS AND ITS ANTIBIOTIC SENSTIVITY PATTERN IN CHILDREN IN A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE

Santhoshi Ratna Nyshita Bopanna; Elayaraja Sivaprakasam; Latha Ravichandran; Kousalya kaliamurthy; Pon Ramya Sivaperumal

Volume : VI, Issue : XII, December - 2016

PREVALENCE OF COMMUNITY ACQUIRED NASAL CARRIAGE OF METHICILLIN RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS AND ITS ANTIBIOTIC SENSTIVITY PATTERN IN CHILDREN IN A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE

Santhoshi Ratna Nyshita Bopanna, Elayaraja Sivaprakasam, Latha Ravichandran, Kousalya Kaliamurthy, Pon Ramya Sivaperumal

Abstract :

BACKGROUND Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of serious Community associated and health care–associated infections as there is increased prevalence of both in recent decades. The spread of staphylococcal infections among children in the community have been attributed to the nasal carriage of the organism. Risk of Invasive Staphylococcus aureus infections are increased manifold in the children with nasal colonization of the organism. Hence, this study was undertaken to estimate the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus colonization in healthy children and its antimicrobial susceptibility pattern. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was carried out among 80 healthy children between the age group of 5 to 12 years who attended the pediatric out –patient department. Nasal swab sample was collected and processed by streak plate method on blood agar plates, cultured for Staphylococcus aureus. All positive cultures were then tested for pattern of antibiotic sensitivity. RESULTS Results recorded, maximum growth recorded between the age group of 5 to 7 years. The prevalence of nasal carriage of MSSA nasal carriage was 10% (8/80), among which MRSA was 1.25%(1/80). Antibiotic sensitivity pattern showed that, most MSSA isolates were sensitive to cephalexin, cloxacillin and ampicillin, gentamycin but resistant to common antibiotics like ampicillin and erythromycin. The only identified MRSA strain was sensitive to vancomycin, clindamycin, linezolid and ciprofloxacin. CONCLUSION The overall prevalence of nasal carriage of CA–MRSA in this setting though not in alarming rate, poses a major threat requiring regular screening to prevent further infections and strategies to interrupt transmission should be implemented.