OBJECTIVES: To determine the frequency and associated factors of nasal colonization by Staphylococcus aureus and its antibiotic susceptibility pattern in a marginal suburban population Lima, Peru. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among population of all ages from a marginal suburban district in northern Lima. The study used a convenience sample. Each person was surveyed and provided a swab sample of the nostrils. The swab samples were analyzed to identify Staphylococcus aureus, determining the susceptibility pattern by the Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method. RESULTS: From the 452 participants recruited, ages between 1 and 84 years, the frequency of Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization was 24.6%, with 0.9% of them resistant to methicillin. The only factor associated with nasal colonization was age equal or less than 11 years (OR: 3.80, 95% CI 1.42 to 10.16). Most strains were resistant to penicillin (96.4%) but also to erythromycin (10.9%), clindamycin (7.3%) and gentamicin (4.5%). CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization was similar to other studies worldwide, with predominance of methicillin-sensitive strains.
OBJECTIVES: To determine the frequency and associated factors of nasal colonization by Staphylococcus aureus and its antibiotic susceptibility pattern in a marginal suburban population Lima, Peru. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among population of all ages from a marginal suburban district in northern Lima. The study used a convenience sample. Each person was surveyed and provided a swab sample of the nostrils. The swab samples were analyzed to identify Staphylococcus aureus, determining the susceptibility pattern by the Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method. RESULTS: From the 452 participants recruited, ages between 1 and 84 years, the frequency of Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization was 24.6%, with 0.9% of them resistant to methicillin. The only factor associated with nasal colonization was age equal or less than 11 years (OR: 3.80, 95% CI 1.42 to 10.16). Most strains were resistant to penicillin (96.4%) but also to erythromycin (10.9%), clindamycin (7.3%) and gentamicin (4.5%). CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization was similar to other studies worldwide, with predominance of methicillin-sensitive strains.