Regresar

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from mobile phones of nursing students in Cuenca, Ecuador

Abstract:

Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen in healthcare facilities, with its resistance to a number of antibiotics currently being a global concern. In this report the presence of S. aureus, resistance gene virulence and antibiotic susceptibility profiles were determined in the mobile phones of senior nursing students. S. aureus was isolated in 11.84% (9/76) of the samples. Furthermore, 44.44% of the mobile phones carried the mecA (MRSA) gene, while none carried the vanA gene. Virulence genes identified were 100% hla, 88.89% hlb, 22.22% tst and sec, and 11.11% sea. The antibiogram revealed that 33.33% of the strains were resistant to cefoxitin and 44.44% showed inducible resistance to clindamycin (ICRSA). The mobile phones of senior nursing students represent an important reservoir of drug-resistant and virulent strains of S. aureus, which could act as infectious foci for the transmission of this pathogen.