Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Carriage among Students at a Historically Black University: A Case Study

Background. Black people in the USA is afflicted with a higher rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. This study determined the prevalence of MRSA carriage among black college students at a university setting. Methods. Hand and nasal swabs were collected and screened f...

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Main Authors: Hua Shen, Eyitayo Akoda, Kunyan Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2013-01-01
Series:International Journal of Microbiology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/979734
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author Hua Shen
Eyitayo Akoda
Kunyan Zhang
author_facet Hua Shen
Eyitayo Akoda
Kunyan Zhang
author_sort Hua Shen
collection DOAJ
description Background. Black people in the USA is afflicted with a higher rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. This study determined the prevalence of MRSA carriage among black college students at a university setting. Methods. Hand and nasal swabs were collected and screened for MRSA by mannitol fermentation, coagulase, and DNase activities and their resistance to oxacillin. MRSA isolates were analyzed for antimicrobial resistance pattern, genetic profile for staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type, pulsed-field type, multilocus sequence type (ST), and the presence of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) gene. Results. MRSA was isolated from 1 of the 312 (0.3%) hand swabs and 2 of the 310 (0.65%) nasal swabs, respectively. All isolates lack multidrug resistance and have type IV SCCmec, characteristic of community-associated MRSA. These isolates were a ST8-MRSA-IVa-PVL(+) (USA300 strain), a ST8-MRSA-IVb-PVL(−), and a new MLST, ST2562-MRSA-IV-PVL(−), identified in this study. These isolates were thus not transmitted among students. Conclusion. We found a low rate of MRSA carriage among students in a black university. Our finding highlights the need of future study which involves multiinstitutions and other ethnic group to assess the association of black race with MRSA carriage.
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spelling doaj-art-701071f7547a42eda80787411eef0aeb2025-08-20T02:06:46ZengWileyInternational Journal of Microbiology1687-918X1687-91982013-01-01201310.1155/2013/979734979734Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Carriage among Students at a Historically Black University: A Case StudyHua Shen0Eyitayo Akoda1Kunyan Zhang2Department of Biology, Virginia State University, 1 Hayden Drive, Petersburg, VA 23806, USADepartment of Biology, Virginia State University, 1 Hayden Drive, Petersburg, VA 23806, USADepartments of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology, Immunology & Infectious Diseases, and Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, CanadaBackground. Black people in the USA is afflicted with a higher rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. This study determined the prevalence of MRSA carriage among black college students at a university setting. Methods. Hand and nasal swabs were collected and screened for MRSA by mannitol fermentation, coagulase, and DNase activities and their resistance to oxacillin. MRSA isolates were analyzed for antimicrobial resistance pattern, genetic profile for staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type, pulsed-field type, multilocus sequence type (ST), and the presence of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) gene. Results. MRSA was isolated from 1 of the 312 (0.3%) hand swabs and 2 of the 310 (0.65%) nasal swabs, respectively. All isolates lack multidrug resistance and have type IV SCCmec, characteristic of community-associated MRSA. These isolates were a ST8-MRSA-IVa-PVL(+) (USA300 strain), a ST8-MRSA-IVb-PVL(−), and a new MLST, ST2562-MRSA-IV-PVL(−), identified in this study. These isolates were thus not transmitted among students. Conclusion. We found a low rate of MRSA carriage among students in a black university. Our finding highlights the need of future study which involves multiinstitutions and other ethnic group to assess the association of black race with MRSA carriage.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/979734
spellingShingle Hua Shen
Eyitayo Akoda
Kunyan Zhang
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Carriage among Students at a Historically Black University: A Case Study
International Journal of Microbiology
title Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Carriage among Students at a Historically Black University: A Case Study
title_full Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Carriage among Students at a Historically Black University: A Case Study
title_fullStr Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Carriage among Students at a Historically Black University: A Case Study
title_full_unstemmed Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Carriage among Students at a Historically Black University: A Case Study
title_short Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Carriage among Students at a Historically Black University: A Case Study
title_sort methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus carriage among students at a historically black university a case study
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/979734
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AT eyitayoakoda methicillinresistantstaphylococcusaureuscarriageamongstudentsatahistoricallyblackuniversityacasestudy
AT kunyanzhang methicillinresistantstaphylococcusaureuscarriageamongstudentsatahistoricallyblackuniversityacasestudy