ABSTRACT
Staphylococcus aureus plays a major role in nosocomial infections. The development of resistance to methicillin among Staph. aureus is recognized as one of the main challenges in hospital infection control. The aim of the study was to assess the nasal carriage rate of MSSA [methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus], MRSA [methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus] and their antimicrobial pattern among health care workers [Nurses and Physicians] of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit [NICU], labour and delivery theatre. Prospective descriptive study. This study was conducted over an eight month in NICU, labour room and delivery theaters of the Women's hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation from September 2005 through May 2006. Of the 466 health care workers, the study screened 340 staff members [73% of physicians and nurses], who are in close contact with patients in NICU, labour and delivery theatres, for MSSA and MRSA. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed on all samples, which showed Staph. aureus colonization using the disk diffusion method. Seventy samples [20.6%] showed Staph. aureus colonization, 68 [97.1%] of them were MSSA and 2 samples [2.9%] were MRSA. Out of the 340 samples, 70 [20.6%] grew S. aureus. 20% of the House Care Workers [HCW] were MSSA carriers and only 0.6% were MRSA carriers. 17.7% of the total physicians and 21.2% of total nurses grew S. aureus; among them, only one physician and one nurse working in NICU were MRSA carriers. All the MSSA isolates were resistant to pencillin, whereas they were sensitive to vancomycin, teicoplanin, gentamicin and oxacillin. Similarly, all MRSA strains were resistant to penicillin, oxacillin and cefoxtin, while they were sensitive to erythromycin, clindamicin, vancomycin and teicoplanin. The prevalence rate of MRSA and MSSA among HCWs in Qatar is comparable to the rates found in other gulf countries. More nurses were carriers of MSSA than physicians. The whole issue deserves continuous surveillance