Nasal Carriage and Methicillin Resistance of Staphylococcus aureus among Schoolchildren in Sana'a City, Yemen

BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a frequent cause of serious health problems with high morbidity and mortality. The risk of S. aureus infections is increased with the emergence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). This study aims to determine the nasal carriage rate of both S. aureus and MRSA among schoolchildren in Sana'a city. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study conducted from January 2018 to May 2020. Five hundred and thirty-six students were enrolled. Their age ranged from 5 to 19 years with the mean age and standard deviation equal to 13.3 ± 3.5 years. Nasal swabs were collected from each student for culturing and methicillin susceptibility testing. RESULTS: Students with positive culture were 271 (51%) males and 265 (49%) females. S. aureus was isolated from 129 (24%) students whereas the overall prevalence of MRSA was 8 (1.5%). S. aureus was significantly recovered from students at the age group of 10–14 years (χ(2) = 7.02; p=0.03), females than males (OR = 1.96; χ(2) = 10.75; p=0.001), and students who were admitted into hospitals (OR = 1.6; χ(2) = 4.89; p=0.03). Nevertheless, there were no significant differences between MRSA carriage and students' age (χ(2) = 2.3; p=0.32), gender (OR = 1.02; χ(2) = 0.001; p=0.63), and hospital admission (OR = 1.4; χ(2) = 0.25; p=0.62). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of MRSA is low among schoolchildren in Sana'a city. Age, gender, and previous hospital admission were statistically associated with nasal carriage of S. aureus but not MRSA nasal carriage.