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Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage in the community: a survey from central Italy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 October 2002

G. ZANELLI
Affiliation:
Clinica delle Malattie Infettive, Dipartimento di Biologia Molecolare, Università di Siena, Italia
A. SANSONI
Affiliation:
Clinica delle Malattie Infettive, Dipartimento di Biologia Molecolare, Università di Siena, Italia
A. ZANCHI
Affiliation:
Clinica delle Malattie Infettive, Dipartimento di Biologia Molecolare, Università di Siena, Italia
S. CRESTI
Affiliation:
Clinica delle Malattie Infettive, Dipartimento di Biologia Molecolare, Università di Siena, Italia
S. POLLINI
Affiliation:
Sezione di Microbiologia, Dipartimento di Biologia Molecolare, Università di Siena, Italia
G. M. ROSSOLINI
Affiliation:
Sezione di Microbiologia, Dipartimento di Biologia Molecolare, Università di Siena, Italia
C. CELLESI
Affiliation:
Clinica delle Malattie Infettive, Dipartimento di Biologia Molecolare, Università di Siena, Italia
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Abstract

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Recently, concern has increased regarding the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the community. We studied 812 subjects from central Italy to establish the rates of nasal carriage of S. aureus, and antibiotic susceptibility patterns, in the community. The prevalence of S. aureus nasal carriage was 30.5%. Only one subject, with predisposing risk factors for acquisition, was identified as carrier of MRSA (prevalence of 0.12%). The presence of MRSA in the community of our area still appears to be a rare event. Among methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) isolates, a surprisingly high rate (18%) of resistance to rifampin was observed.

Type
Short Report
Copyright
© 2002 Cambridge University Press