MRSA nasal carriage among Taiwanese senior high school students and a narrative review of local metadata

Objective: (MRSA) is a critical marker for pathogen transmission. This study investigated the MRSA carriage rate and risk factors among Taiwanese senior high school students, comparing findings with historical local data. Methods: typing, multi-locus sequence typing (MLST), and virulent genes detection. Results were compared against 34 PubMed-retrieved Taiwanese studies (2004-2026). Results: type IV; only one was PVL-positive. The identified sequence types were ST45 (n = 4), ST59 (n = 2), and ST508 (n = 1). Literature review revealed MRSA carriage rates in Taiwan ranging from 1.3% to 20.3%, peaking in nursing home residents. While ST59 was historically the predominant clone, ST45 emerged in healthcare settings in 2014 and has become increasingly prevalent since 2019. Conclusion: carriage rate, with MRSA levels comparable to the general Taiwanese adult population. ST45 and ST59 have emerged as the two predominant colonizing MRSA strains in this group, reflecting a shift in local molecular epidemiology.