Increasing trend of community-acquired methicillin-resistant: Staphylococcal carriers: An alarming bell for urgent measures

Background: An increase in the incidence of infections caused by community-associated-methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been reported. Hence, the knowledge of resistance pattern of these isolates is a precondition for alleviating emerging antibiotic resistance and devising better treatment strategies Aim: To find out the prevalence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant staphylococcal strains from nasal carriers. Materials and Methods: A total of 352 nasal swabs collected during routine health checkup were analyzed. Results: Of the 58 (16%) staphylococci isolated, 32 (55%) were S. aureus and 26 (45%) were coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS). Methicillin resistance was observed in 7 (22%) of staphylococci aureus and 11 (42%) of CoNS. "D test" was positive in 1 (14%) MRSA, 2 (8%) methicillin-susceptible S. aureus and 2 (8%) methicillin resistant-CoNS. Conclusion: Effective implementation of the antibiotic policy along with measures like hand wash, isolation of patients will reduce the incidence of resistance