Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage and patterns of antibiotic resistance in bacterial isolates from patients and staff in a dialysis center of southeast Iran

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Staphylococcus aureus is an important infection in hemodialysis patients. We studied the prevalence of nasal carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and its antibiotic resistance pattern in patients receiving hemodialysis as well as in dialysis unit staff. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From June to September 2012, we evaluated 74 cases including 61 patients on hemodialysis and 13 dialysis unit staff. Nasal swabs were taken from all cases and were cultured on a blood medium agar. We identified S. aureus based on conventional laboratory methods. For antimicrobial resistance patterns, we used disk diffusion method. Oxacillin MIC, oxacillin and cefoxcitin disk diffusion methods were used for detection of MRSA. Disk approximation test (D-test) was applied for the frequency of erythromycin induced clindamycin resistance. RESULTS: S. aureus carrier state was determined in 12 of the 61 patients on hemodialysis (19.67%) and 5 of the 13 dialysis unit staffs (38.46%). In hemodialyzed patients, MRSA and MSSA carrier of S. aureus were 6.56% and 13.11%, respectively. All nasal carriage states in studied staffs were MSSA. All isolated S. aureus were found to be sensitive to vancomycin, teicoplanin, and rifampin. However, reduced sensitivity of MRSA isolates to other antibiotics was noted. Resistance frequencies to tested antibiotic was as follows: cefteriaxone and penicillin (100%), tetracycline and doxycilin (75%), gentamicin, cloxacillin, and cefazolin (50%), ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazol, erythromycin, and clindamycin (25%). The resistance rate of isolated MSSA against tested antibiotics was lower than isolated MRSA. Inducible clindamycin resistance was shown in 25% of identified MRSA strains. CONCLUSION: S. aureus nasal carrier state was lower than former reports from other parts of Iran. The antibiotic resistance patterns also differed, perhaps due to different pattern of administering antibiotics at our hospital. Screening of these patients should be noted as a health priority and microbial sensitivity tests should be considered in order to optimize treatment options.