Nasal carriage of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in pediatric patients admitted during the COVID-19 pandemic in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is a foremost human pathogen that has been impeded from causing abundant clinical infections ranging from bacteremia, septicemia, infective endocarditis, skin and soft tissue,pulmonaryand device-related infections. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the cause of a growing number of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) around the world. This has led to longer hospital stays, more prolonged antibiotic administration, and greater inpatient health care expenses. Objectives: To analyze the rate of nasal carriage of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by antimicrobial culture sensitivity among pediatric patients. Patients and methods:Within a year (July 2021–June 2022), 350 patients participated in a hospital-based cross-sectional study conducted in the pediatrics and microbiology departments of a tertiary care hospital in East Delhi. A sterile cotton swab dampened with regular saline will be used to take nasal swabs from patients. The Sample was subcultured on Mannitol salt agar and S. aureus was identified as per standard microbiological guidelines. The antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed by the Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion method on Muller-Hinton agar. Results- Among 350 pediatric nasal swab samples, the prevalence of S. aureus was 135 (38.57%). Other Staphylococcus sp. were 181 (51.7%) and no growth was noticed in 34 (9.7%). Out of 135 (38.57%) Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated pediatric patients, 26 (19.25%) had inducible clindamycin resistance. Conclusion:The study highlights MRSA's persistent challenges in pediatric healthcare settings, including high prevalence, inducible clindamycin resistance, age, and antibiotic use. It calls for standardized infection control measures, cautious antibiotic prescription practices, and continuous surveillance.