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S. aureus prevalence, antibiotic resistance vary among sociodemographic groups
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Prevalence and resistance patterns of Staphylococcus aureus in the nasal microbiota of community-dwelling Austrians showed differences between sociodemographic groups, according to findings published in BMC Infectious Diseases.
In a cross-sectional investigation conducted as part of the Appropriateness of Prescribing Antibiotics in Primary Health Care in Europe (APRES) study, associations were found for S. aureus carriers but not for carriers of resistant S. aureus strains.
“Emergence of increasingly resistant strains of microbials has been recognized by the WHO and others as a global health threat,” the researchers wrote. “Differences were identified in the prevalence and multi-drug resistances of commensal S. aureus between the sexes and individuals living in rural and urban areas in Austria. More than two-thirds of all S. aureus carriers had resistant strains, though the vast majority was resistant against small-spectrum [penicillin] only.”
Kathryn Hoffmann, MD, of the Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse, and colleagues analyzed 3,309 nose swabs and corresponding questionnaires from patients at 20 general practices. Recruited consecutively, the patients were among those from nine European countries involved in APRES who received care for noninfectious reasons.
The investigators performed isolation, identification and resistance testing of S. aureus. Subgroup analyses and logistic regression models were implemented for statistical analyses.
The team identified S. aureus in 16.6% of nose swabs, with 70.1% of those showing resistance against at least one antibiotic, primarily penicillin.
Carriage of S. aureus was associated with being male (OR = 1.6; 95% CI, 1.3–2), younger age (OR = 1.3; 95% CI, 1–1.8), residing in a rural location (OR = 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1–1.7) and working in the health care industry (OR = 1.5; 95% CI, 1–2.1).
Resistance to multiple drugs was seen in 13.7% of S. aureus carriers, with 1.5% testing positive for MRSA. Antibiotic resistance rate was highest against penicillin (64.8 %), followed by azithromycin (13.5 %) and erythromycin (13.3 %).
“Physicians should consider these findings when determining therapeutic options with antibiotics,” the researchers wrote. “Particularly, this finding could lend support to the avoidance of prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics to treat S. aureus infections in rural community settings.” – by Allegra Tiver
Disclosure: Hoffmann reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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