*1,2Sineque, A., 1Mabasso, A. A., 1Chongo, A. E., and 1Mussagy,A.
1Department of Biological Sciences, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique
2Centre for Functional Ecology – One Health, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal *Correspondence to: sineque.alberto@uem.ac.mz; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000–0003–2468–9925
Abstract:
Background: Nasal colonization by Staphylococcus aureus is a major source of community and hospital associated staphylococcal infections, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infections. Screening of MRSA nasal colonization is important in the prevention and control of infection and may provide useful information to guide antimicrobial therapy. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of nasal colonization by methicillin-resistant S. aureus and its glycopeptide susceptibility pattern among symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals in Maputo, Mozambique.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study of symptomatic outpatients and asymptomatic students at Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo, was conducted by collecting nasal specimens for S. aureus isolation. Using culture techniques such as Mannitol salt and HiCrome™ Rapid MRSA agar, S. aureus was isolated based on the colonial characteristics and confirmed by Gram staining, catalase, and Microgen®Staph tests. The antibiotic susceptibility test was performed by the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method on Salt Mueller Hinton agar for methicillin (cefoxitin). Vancomycin and teicoplanin antibiotics were tested as an initial screening for glycopeptide inhibition patterns by the disc diffusion method.
Results: A total of 50 (39.1%) S. aureus isolates were obtained from nasal samples collected from 128 participants, of whom 104 (31.3%) were from university students and 24 (7.8%) from outpatients in the university clinic. The prevalence of MRSA (resistance to cefoxitin) in the study population was 7.8% (n=24/128). For the glycopeptides, 14.1% and 11.7% showed reduced susceptibility to teicoplanin and vancomycin, respectively.
Conclusion: In this study, the prevalence of nasal colonization by S. aureus was 39%, while the prevalence of MRSA was relatively low (7.8%) in the poplution studied. However, the reduced glycopeptide susceptibility highlights the need for surveillance, to prevent the spread of potential glycopeptide-resistant S. aureus in vulnerable populations.
Keywords: Staphylococcus aureus, Nasal colonization, antibiotic susceptibility, Maputo.
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