Nasal carriage frequency of Staphylococcus aureus according to education years of medical students

Abstract

Objective: Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus (NCSa) is one of the most important risk factors for nosocomial infection. Although there are numerous studies concerning NCSa frequency among medical staff, studies dealing specifically with medical students are less common. We aimed to investigate NCSa frequency among medical students and to compare the rates of clinical students (CS), comprising interns and stagers, with those of preclinical students (PS). Materials and Methods: This study was performed at Sakarya University Medical School. All students were invited to participate into the study. Nasal swab samples were taken anterior nares from 146 medical students (PS=82, CS=64). The samples were inoculated into the Chapman agar medium, and incubated at 370 C for 48 hours. Antibiotic sensitivity tests were performed on these colonies. The obtained data were analyzed statistically. Chi-square test was used for qualitative variables and t test was used as quantitative data. P <0.05 was considered significant. Results: A total of 146 students were agreed to participate in the study (53 subjects were male and 93 were female). While NCSa frequency within the PS group was 2/82 (2.4%), that within the CS group was 7/64 (10.9%) (p=0.042). Methicillin resistance was not detected in any subject. Conclusion: As a result, the frequency of NCSa in the CS group (10.9%) was found to be about 4 times higher than that in the PS group (2.4%). We recommend that clinical students should be expected to observe infection-control precautions. J Microbiol Infect Dis 2016; 6(3): 103-106  

Keywords

• Nasal carriage,Staphylococcus aureus,medical student

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