Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage rates among children between one-to-five years in Barangay Pio Del Pilar, Makati City

ABSTRACT

Objective@#This study aims to determine the staphylococcal nasal carriage rates of children who are between one-to-five years old and residing in Botanical Gardens, Barangay Pio Del Pilar, Makati City. The following shall also be investigated antibiotic resistance patterns of isolates, factors associated with S. aureus nasal carriage, and other pathologic organisms colonizing the anterior nares in this population. @*Methods@#Nasal swabs were taken from each subject and cultured after informed consent was obtained. Statistical analysis was performed to determine factors with significant association with nasal colonization. @*Results@#Ten (12.9%) out of 77 subjects were positive for S. aureus nasal colonization, one of which was oxacillin-resistant. Only the gross monthly income showed significant association with nasal carriage (p=0.03, OR = 0.59, 95% CI). Four subjects (5.1%) were carriers of S. pneumoniae. @*Conclusions@#The study shows a relatively low rate of Methicillin Sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) and Methicillin Resistant S. aureus (MRSA) nasal carriage. The MRSA isolate was sensitive to all other anti-staphylococcal drugs tested, similar to other studies on Community Acquired-MRSA (CA-MRSA). Local surveillance studies are essential in the control of CA-MRSA and in guiding local antibiotic policies for staphylococcal infections. Further studies on a bigger population are needed to determine rates, resistance patterns and risk factors associated with nasal colonization.