[Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in hospital personnel and the normal population and antibiotic resistance of the isolates].

Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus plays a key role in the epidemiology and pathogenesis of infection, and is a major risk factor for the development of both community-acquired and nosocomial infections. The objective of this study was to investigate the carriage rate of S. aureus in hospital personnel and normal population groups, and to compare the resistance rates of the isolated strains to certain antibiotics. The nasal carriage rates of S.aureus were found to be 27.5% in 262 hospital personnel, and 24.0% in 75 normal healthy subjects (p > 0.05). While methicillin resistant S. aureus rate was 9.7% in hospital personnel, no methicillin resistant strain was detected in the control group (p < 0.05). According to the in-vitro sensitivity test results, resistance rates of meticillin sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) strains isolated from hospital personnel to fusidic acid, erythromycin and clindamycin were as 11%, 18% and 12%, respectively. There were no resistant strains to these antibiotics among MSSA, isolated from normal subjects. In conclusion, the colonization of the resistant strains rather than the frequency of S. aureus colonization is more important in the hospital personnel.