Prevalence of nasal colonization by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

What is it about?

The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of MRSA among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) being monitored in a tertiary outpatient hospital in the state of Pernambuco, in the Brazilian Northeast.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is considered a pathogen of great relevance because of its distribution in hospital epidemiology. It is related to exposure and hospital stay, as well as the use of invasive apparatuses [1]. The frequency of colonization or infection by MRSA in individuals outside of the hospital environment, classified as community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA), has progressively increased in recent decades; and this tendency has likewise been observed in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA). In fact, among them this seems to be even greater than in the population without HIV [2, 3]. The nasal colonization rate in PLWHA in Taiwan was 6% [4]; in Iran, 5.3% [5]; in India, 16.6% [6]; and in Dallas, USA, 10.8% [7]. There are few publications concerning the prevalence of MRSA in the Brazilian population. In São Paulo, one study found a prevalence of 21.7% [8, 9]. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of nasal colonization by MRSA and associated risk factors among PLHA attended in the outpatient care unit of the University Hospital of Pernambuco.

Perspectives