Download PDF
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · J Lab Physicians 2017; 9(04): 239-242
DOI: 10.4103/0974-2727.214262
Original Article

Screening of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in healthcare workers and students and its susceptibility to mupirocin in a tertiary care teaching hospital in South India

Jutang Babat Ain Tiewsoh
Department of Microbiology, Fr. Muller Medical College, Mangalore, Karnataka, India
,
Meena Dias
Department of Microbiology, Fr. Muller Medical College, Mangalore, Karnataka, India
› Author Affiliations Financial support and sponsorship Nil.
› Further Information
  PDF Download Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus is the most common pathogen causing infection in hospitals. They also colonize the healthcare workers who serve as reservoir of infection. Emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a burning issue throughout the world contributing to significant morbidity and mortality. Use of mupirocin to eradicate the carrier state is the need of the hour.

OBJECTIVES: To screen healthcare workers (HCWs) and medical students for MRSA and to know the susceptibility of mupirocin in this group.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 432 students, nursing staff, doctors and house-keeping staff were screened for MRSA for 4 months. The MRSA and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (MRCoNS) isolates were then tested for mupirocin resistance.

RESULTS: Out of 432 samples, 24 (5.55%) were MRSA and 104 (24.07%) were MRCoNS. Only 4.16% (n = 1) showed high-level resistance to mupirocin among the MRSA isolates, while resistance among MRCoNS was higher at 6.7% (n = 7) for low-level resistance and 17.30% (n = 18) for high-level resistance.

CONCLUSION: MRSA colonization of HCWs may serve as a source of infection and mupirocin resistance should be screened for all whether working in Intensive Care Units or not and if detected, alternative treatment should be used which will result in appropriate use of this antibiotic for decolonization.

Key words

Healthcare workers - methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus - methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus - mupirocin - Staphylococcus aureus


Publication History

Received: 16 December 2016

Accepted: 03 January 2017

Article published online:
19 February 2020

© 2017.

Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Private Ltd.
A-12, Second Floor, Sector -2, NOIDA -201301, India

 

  • References

  • 1 Winn W Jr., Allen S, Janda W, Koneman E, Procop G, Schreckenberger P, et al. Gram positive cocci. Staphylococci and related gram positive cocci. In: Koneman's Color Atlas and Textbook of Diagnostic Microbiology. 6th ed. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 2006. p. 624-37.
  • 2 Wertheim HF, Melles DC, Vos MC, van Leeuwen W, van Belkum A, Verbrugh HA, et al. The role of nasal carriage in Staphylococcus aureus infections. Lancet Infect Dis 2005;5:751-62.
  • 3 Abad CL, Pulia MS, Safdar N. Does the nose know? An update on MRSA decolonization strategies. Curr Infect Dis Rep 2013;15:455-64.
  • 4 Patel JB, Gorwitz RJ, Jernigan JA. Mupirocin resistance. Antimicrobial resistance. Clin Infect Dis 2009;49:935-41.
  • 5 Finlay JE, Miller LA, Poupard JA. Interpretive criteria for testing susceptibility of staphylococci to mupirocin. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1997;41:1137-9.
  • 6 Golia S, Hittinahalli V, Kamath AS, Nirmala AR. A study of nasal carriage of MRSA among the health care workers of a tertiary care hospital, Bangalore. Int J Basic Appl Med Sci 2013;3:3-7.
  • 7 Rongpharpi SR, Hazarika NK, Kalita H. The prevalence of nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus among healthcare workers at a tertiary care hospital in Assam with special reference to MRSA. J Clin Diagn Res 2013;7:257-60.
  • 8 Kaur DC, Narayan PA. Mupirocin resistance in nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus among healthcare workers of a tertiary care rural hospital. Indian J Crit Care Med 2014;18:716-21.
  • 9 Agarwal L, Singh AK, Sengupta C, Agarwal A. Nasal carriage of methicillin- and mupirocin-resistant S. aureus among health care workers in a tertiary care hospital. J Res Pharm Pract 2015;4:182-6.
  • 10 Chaturvedi P, Singh AK, Singh AK, Shukla S, Agarwal L. Prevalence of mupirocin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates among patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital. N Am J Med Sci 2014;6:403-7.
  • 11 Oommen SK, Appalaraju B, Jinsha K. Mupirocin resistance in clinical isolates of staphylococci in a tertiary care centre in South India. Indian J Med Microbiol 2010;28:372-5.
  • 12 Singh AK, Venkatesh V, Singh M. Mupirocin resistance in clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus in a tertiary care hospital set up in North India. Int J Med Res Health Sci 2013;2:840-7.