Low methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage rate among Italian dental students

• Published in: American journal of infection control Vol. 43; no. 12; pp. e89 - e91
• Main Authors: Petti, Stefano, DMD, Kakisina, Naomy, DMD, Volgenant, Catherine M.C., DMD, Messano, Giuseppe A., MD, Barbato, Ersilia, DMD, Passariello, Claudio, DMD, de Soet, Johannes J., BSE
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-12-2015; Mosby-Year Book, Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Carrier State - epidemiology; Carrier State - microbiology; College students; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dental students; Dentistry; Disease transmission; Female; Humans; Infection Control; Infectious Disease; Italy - epidemiology; Male; Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA); Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - isolation & purification; Mouth - microbiology; Nose - microbiology; Prevalence; Public health; Skin - microbiology; Staphylococcal Infections - epidemiology; Staphylococcal Infections - microbiology; Staphylococcus infections; Students, Dental; Universities; Young Adult; Italy; Dental students; Dentistry; Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA); Public health
• ISSN: 0196-6553; 1527-3296
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2015.08.008

We assessed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriage rate among dental students from an Italian university. A total of 157 subjects participated (67 preclinical students and 90 clinical students); samples were collected from the nose, mouth, and skin. Five preclinical students and 0 clinical students were MRSA-positive. Carriage rates were 3.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.4%-6.0%) overall, 7.5% (95% CI, 1.2%-13.8%) in preclinical students and 0% in clinical students. There were 2 MRSA clusters among the preclinical students: 3 second-year and 2 first-year students, who sat close to one another in the classroom the day of the sample. MRSA carriage was not associated with dental health care. The pooled carriage rate among dental students was assessed to obtain a reliable figure of carriage rate unaffected by local conditions. The 4 published surveys were pooled, and the fixed-effects method was used. Among the 484 dental students, the pooled carriage rate was 4.1% (95% CI, 2.4%-5.8%).