Prevalence of Community Acquired Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Nasal Carriage among Children of Consultation: Experience of a Moroccan University Hospital

Background: The carriage of Staphylocoque aureus, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), is a significant risk factor for subsequent staphylococcal infection. The nares are the most consistent sites of colonization. The objective of this study was to determine prevalence for community acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA) nasal carriage among a pediatric population as well as to find out antibiotic susceptibilities of isolated strains. Patients and methods: We conducted a prospective study from June 2017 to June 2018 on 300 children, who consulted in the different pediatric specialties of Mohamed VI University Hospital of Marrakesh. Nasal swabs were collected from all the consultant children. The identification of nasal carriage of SA was performed in the microbiology laboratory of Mohamed VI University Hospital. Results: Staphylocoque aureus was isolated from the nares in 49 (16.3%) children, two (4%) isolates were classified as CA-MRSA. The mean children age was 75, 14 months (p=0.05), a male predominance was noticed. The majority of SA carriers were from urban areas, it was noted a high carriage in living patients with five or more people (p=0.024). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of MRSA stains expressed a 100% resistance to cotrimoxazole, fusidic acid and sensitivity to all other antibiotics. Conclusion: This study highlights the potential for community MRSA acquisition in our context. These strains, which were initially sensitive to most of antibiotics, begin to become increasingly resistant to nobetalactam antibiotics. This requires continuous monitoring to clarify the factors of antimicrobial resistance and to prevent further spread of community MRSA. ？