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Carriage of Staphylococcus aureus among 104 healthy persons during a 19-month period

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

N. H.Riewerts Eriksen
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Microbiology, Statens Seruminstitut, DK-2300 Copenhagen S Staphylococcus Laboratory, Statens Seruminstitut, DK-2300 Copenhagen S
F. Espersen
Affiliation:
Staphylococcus Laboratory, Statens Seruminstitut, DK-2300 Copenhagen S
V.Thamdrup Rosdahl
Affiliation:
Staphylococcus Laboratory, Statens Seruminstitut, DK-2300 Copenhagen S
K. Jensen
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Microbiology, Hvidovre Hospital, DK-2650 Hvidovre, Denmark
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The present study was undertaken to investigate the frequency of the nasal carrier rate of Staphylococcus aureus. The investigation was performed on 104 healthy persons. The total number of swabs performed was 1498 and this resulted in isolation of 522 S. aureus strains. All strains have been identified, tested for antibiotic susceptibility, and phage-typed. The carrier-index (number of positive swabs/number of total swabs for each individual person) was compared with different sampling and culturing methods, phage type, age, and resistance to antibiotics. There was statistical difference in carrier rate according to sex (P ·05). Among the 104 persons 15 (14·4%) were persistent carriers, 17 (16·3%) intermittent carriers, 55 (52·9%) occasional carriers and 17 (16·3%) non-carriers. Among intermittent and occasional carriers the phage-type distribution was different from the S. aureus strains isolated from Danish hospitalized patients in 1992, while the persistent carriers had similar phage-type distribution.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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