Molecular characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage among health care workers at a Referral Hospital in Zabol, Iran

INTRODUCTION: Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is known as one of the most important hospital pathogens responsible for a wide range of infections. Limited data concerning the prevalence of nasal carriage of S. aureus and its molecular characteristics are available in Zabol province, Iran. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of nasal carriage of S. aureus and its molecular characteristics isolated from health care workers (HCWs). METHODS: Totally, 251 nasal swabs were collected from HCWs at a referral hospital, from March to September 2017. Disk diffusion method was used to identify Methicillin-Resistant S. aureus (MRSA). PCR amplification method was used for the detection of following genes; sea, seb, sec, sed, see, tst, eta, etb, lukF-PV, lukS-PV and SCCmec types. RESULTS: Of 251 collected swabs, 31 (12.4%) cases were identified as S. aureus carriers, which 14 (14/31; 45.2%) isolates were MRSA. The most prevalent detected genes were sea and tst, with 22.6% and 9.7%, respectively. The most prevalent SCCmec type was SCCmec type IV (28.6%). CONCLUSION: We found that the prevalence of MRSA nasal carriage is at high level and must be considered as a significant health care problem at the investigated hospital. Strict implementation of infection-control policies and rational use of antibiotics are the main pillars for controlling the spread of S. aureus at hospital.