Antibiotic Resistance of Staphylococcus aureus from Nasal and Throat Swabs of Healthy Individuals from the Tuzla Canton Region

The objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus in nasal and throat swab samples collected from healthy individuals within a population of workers and students, analyze its frequency in relation to the gender distribution of partici- pants, and assess the antibiotic susceptibility profile. S. aureus was isolated exclusively from nasal swab samples (111/1403). The findings indicate that nasal carriage is significantly more prevalent in male participants than in females and is independent of age. No statistically significant differences in S. aureus prevalence were observed between the worker and student populations. Resistance was detected for: penicillin, ampicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanate, oxa- cillin, cephalexin, gentamicin, erythromycin, chloramphenicol, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxaz- ole and ciprofloxacin. Further research involving a larger sample size and an extended study period is required to elucidate the influence of geographic and sociodemographic factors on S. aureus carriage, as well as the potential impact of gender on the prevalence of resistant strains.