Abstract
Background and Objective: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the emerging pathogens implicated in hospitals and nasal carriage by healthcare workers is extremely important clinically because it enables for the contamination of medical equipment, so the study aimed to determine the nasal burden of MRSA among Healthcare Workers in Khartoum State. Materials and Methods: A total of 142 HCWs were enrolled, Swabs were obtained and cultivated on mannitol salt agar. The species were characterized as S. aureus relying on morphological features, Gramm staining and biochemical tests. Antibiotic susceptibility tests, which were carried out following the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Results: Among 142 HCWs enrolled in the study majority of them 76(53.5%) were females, Participants age range between 25-24 years old with a mean of 2.04 +/- 0.617 SD, Statistically significant correlation was revealed between S. aureus and direct patients contact (p = 0.001, 95% CI (1.27-1.43). The overall nasal carriage rate of MRSA was 8.4 % (12/142), the nurse staff frequently carried S. aureus and MRSA (21.5 and 8.4%), respectively (p = 0.040). the highest rate of MRSA as well was found in HCWs of emergency rooms (10.5%) consequently. Almost 47(33.1%) of nurses staff have had direct contact with patients among them was positive MRSA result was statistically significant (p <= 0.001). (29.6%) of HCWs that regularly contact their patients revealed in the operation department while the highest MRSA (10.5%) was detected in the Emergency department (p <= 0.002). Conclusion: The high rate of nasal MRSA carriage among healthcare workers revealed in this study is concerning, emphasizing the necessity of enhanced infection control measures to avoid MRSA transmission from HCWs to endangered patients.