Oral carriage and antimicrobial susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus in dental hospital staff and healthy general population in Kolkata, India

The oral cavity carriage and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of Staphylococcus aureus in Dental hospital staff and healthy general population were determined. Oral cavity swabs were taken from 113 healthy general population and 90 health care workers. Antibiotic disc susceptibility testing was conducted following the CLSI method. Staphylococcus aureus carriage was noted in 28.3% of healthy general population and 38.9% of health care workers. Resistance to commonly used oral antibiotics of healthy general population & health care workers, ampicillin 93.8% & 97.2%, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid 84.4% & 77.2%, amoxicillin 43.8% & 57.2%, ciprofloxacin 53.2% & 57.2% and ofloxacin 37.5% & 42.9%, respectively. 5.7% methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus was detected among the hospital personnel from isolated strain. The MRSA isolates showed multiple drug resistance (MDR), except imipenem. Hospitals should assess the advantages and disadvantages of routinely culturing personnel, however, in outbreak situation hospital personnel especially young persons may be sources of nosocomial infection.