Abstract

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have evolved as a major health care-acquired pathogen worldwide during the last three decades. A prospective study was carried out to ascertain the prevalence of nasal carriage of MRSA in health care workers and in hospitalized adult patients and their antibiotic susceptibility profile in Cameroon. The bacterial strains were identified by conventional method and the antibiotic resistance was carried out by the Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. Of the 295 samples analysed, 120 (40.6%) were positive for S. aureus, 102 (34.6%) were MRSA. MRSA constituted 85% of all the S. aureus identified.The prevalence of nasal carriage of MRSA in medical staff was 41.3 and 32% for hospitalized patients. The MRSA carriage rate at the regional hospital, Limbe was 38%, 37.1% at the Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital and 32.1% at Laquintinie Hospital, Douala. MRSA was identified in 34.2% of males and 35% of females. Most MRSA strains were highly sensitive to vancomycin and teicoplanin in patients; while in medical staff, most strains were sensitive to clindamycin. The highest rate of resistance in medical staff was recorded with penicillin G, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid; while in hospitalized patients, gentamicin and erythromycin had the highest rate of resistance.

Key words: Health care personnel, adult patients, nasal carriage, methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA), antibiotic susceptibility