NASAL CARRIAGE OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS AMONG HEALTHY POPULATION IN DIYALA

Abstract

The rate of S. aureus nasal carriage varies widely among different populations. This study was conducted to explore the rate of nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus among healthy population in Diyala province. A total of 1186 participants were included in this study, which was conducted from 1st January to 30th Jun 2004. They were randomly chosen from those attending the public health laboratory in Baquba for premarriage investigations. 593 were males with mean age 25.6 ± 3.7 years and 593 females with mean age 21.8 ± 5.6 years.Nasal swabs were collected from the anterior nares using sterile bacteriological swabs. Swabs were cultured immediately on blood agar plates and incubated at 37 0C for 24 hours. Identification of S. aureus isolates was based on standard bacteriological and biochemical criteria.The results showed that S.aureus nasal carriage was detected in 255 (21.5%) of the participants. Males had slightly higher carriage rate as compared to females (24.7% vs 18.2%). Like wise, participants from rural areas had higher carriage rate than those from urban areas (23% vs 19.7%). Prayer participants had lower carriage rate compared to non-prayers (13.7 % vs 41.1.6%). It can be concluded that considerable proportions of normal healthy population in Diyala carry S.aureus in their anterior nares. So, elimination of S.aureus from these sites reduces the incidence of nosocomial infection.