Rate of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) Nasal Carriage among Healthy Students in Faculty of Veterinary Medicine/ University of Kufa and the Importance of Annual Screening

Aims: The current study aim to use simple procedures (detection of important virulence factors and antibiotic sensitivity testing) for investigating the rate of nasal carriage of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus among healthy undergraduate students and to check the direct close contact to animals as a risk factor for the current carriage state. Study design: cross sectional study. Place and duration of study: The study conducted between February 2018 and April 2018 at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine /University of Kufa/ Iraq. Methodology: This study was conducted among 215 undergraduate students attending different study stages at the faculty of Veterinary medicine/ University of Kufa. According to certain exclusion and inclusion criteria only 71 students were included in this study, nasal swabs were taken as a samples and were inoculated into mannitol salt agar medium for the isolation of Staphyloccocus aureus strains. Also, certain virulence factors were determined in addition to antibiotic resistance testing to estimate Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus rate. Results: The results showed that among 71 students from different stages, only 15 students (21.12%) were carrier for Staphyloccocus aureus out of which 11(73.33%) were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). All Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains were isolated from Male (100%) with no carriage state recorded among female group. Seven (63.64%) of the Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains were able to produce Alpha and Beta-haemolysin toxin production. In addition, strains isolated showed (100%) positivity for mecA-mediated resistance test and (100%) coagulase production. Conclusion: The study concluded that the rate of nasal carriage of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus among apparently healthy students was high (73.33%). In addition, it found that animal contact was not a primary risk factor for the carriage state among the faculty students and recommended that annual screening of veterinarians (faculty members and students) should be performed annually. Moreover, submitting of prevention measures should be introduced as a routine checking to avoid pathogen transmission among students and between students and animals during their study years.