ABSTRACT

This study determined the prevalence of multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from nasal cavity of MOUAU students. A total of forty (40) apparently healthy students of MOUAU with different ages and socioeconomic status served as the study population of which this nasal samples were cultured on Nutrient Agar, Blood Agar Medium, MacConkey agar, Manitol Salt agar using streak plate techniques. A total eleven (11) Staphylococcal strains were isolated from (23 of 40) nasal samples i.e. (4) from female and (7) from male. The prevalence rate in this study showed that the highest number and percentage of Staphylococcal isolates was observed in the female nasal samples 7(30.4%), while the lowest isolate was recorded in male nasal samples 4(23.5%). 21(52.5%) of the 40 samples showed no traces of Staphylococcus specie. However, the drug susceptibility profile of bacterial isolate from nasal samples reveals varying percentage of sensitivity and resistance to the antibiotics. From this study, Ofloxacin (5mcg) and Gentamicin (10mcg) exhibited high percentage of sensitivity against the Staphylococus isolates at 10(90.9%) each. Cefuroxime (30mcg) and Ceftazidime (30mcg) showed high level of resistance against the Staphylococus isolates at 11(100%). No resistance to Ofloxacin (5mcg) was noted. This study reported high multi-drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates from anterior nares of healthy male and female students of MOUAU in which 11(27.5%) of them were MRSA. Therefore, there is need to discourage antibiotics abuse and to implement strategies for elimination of nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus to prevent severe Staphylococcus aureus infections in our environments and that Ofloxacin (5mcg) and Gentamicin (10mcg) antibiotics could be of alternative of choice to use and to control MRSA infection as an effective antibacterial agent.