Descriptive epidemiology of nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among patients admitted to two healthcare facilities in Algeria.

Aim: To evaluate nasal carriage rate and variables associated with Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in patients admitted in two healthcare facilities. Results: S. aureus was isolated from 159 (26%) of the enrolled patients. Methicillin-susceptible S. aureus was isolated from 150 (24.5%) patients, and MRSA was isolated from 9 (1.5%). Cancer and previous hospitalization were associated with a significantly higher frequency of nasal S. aureus carriage among the patients admitted to the general hospital and the nephrology department, respectively. MRSA isolates were heterogeneous with respect to their staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec element (SC…