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Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage among healthcare workers in Kisangani, the Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Abstract

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a global health concern, but there are few data from Central Africa. The objective of our study was to characterise S. aureus colonisation isolates from healthcare-exposed professionals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Healthcare workers and medical students (n = 380) in Kisangani, DRC were screened for S. aureus nasal carriage in a single-centre cross-sectional study in the University Hospital of Kisangani. The isolates were identified and characterised using phenotypic and genotypic methods. The nasal carriage rate of S. aureus was 16.6 % and 10 out of 63 isolates (15.9 %) were MRSA. We found 28 different spa types. Most MRSA isolates belonged to ST8-spa t1476-SCCmec V. The majority of MRSA were multidrug-resistant to non-beta-lactam antibiotics. Overall, 28.5 % of S. aureus carried Panton–Valentine leucocidin (PVL)-encoding genes (all methicillin-sensitive) and 17.5 % carried toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1)-encoding genes. The finding of MRSA carriage among healthcare workers in a setting with limited access to diagnostic microbiology and appropriate therapy calls for improved education on infection control practices and supports the introduction of surveillance programmes.

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Ethics statement

The present project was carried out in the scope of a project of Antimicrobial Surveillance in Tropical Settings, for which ethical clearance had been obtained at the Institutional Review Board of the Institute of Tropical Medicine (Ref. IRB/AB/ec/56), as well as from the University Hospital of Antwerp (Ref. 8/20/96) and the Ministry of Health, DRC. The project focuses on invasive bacterial diseases (such as bloodstream infections and meningitis). For the purpose of this sub-study, pending the installation of an ethical committee in the Oriental Province and at the UHK, the study protocol was assessed and approved by the Provincial Health Officer and the Director’s Board of UHK, i.e. the highest ranked medical authorities. Participants were explained the procedure and asked for oral consent.

Funding

The project was funded by the Belgian Ministry of Development Cooperation through the Flemish Interuniversity Council (VLIR-UOS) project ZRDC2009EIN6.

Conflict of interest

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM), Nationalestraat 155, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium

    H. De Boeck & J. Jacobs

  2. Centre National de Référence MRSA Staphylocoques, Microbiology, Hôpital Erasme—Université Livre de Bruxelles, Lennikse Baan 808, 1070, Anderlecht, Belgium

    S. Vandendriessche, M. Hallin & O. Denis

  3. Centre de Diagnostic Moléculaire iris-Lab, Hôpital Saint-Pierre—Université Libre de Bruxelles, Rue Haute 322, 1000, Brussels, Belgium

    M. Hallin

  4. Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo

    B. Batoko, J.-P. Alworonga, B. Mapendo & N. Dauly

  5. Department of Pediatrics, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    C. Van Geet

  6. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, KU Leuven, Minderbroedersstraat 10, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    J. Jacobs

Authors
  1. H. De Boeck
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  2. S. Vandendriessche
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  3. M. Hallin
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  4. B. Batoko
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  5. J.-P. Alworonga
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  6. B. Mapendo
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  7. C. Van Geet
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  8. N. Dauly
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  9. O. Denis
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  10. J. Jacobs
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to H. De Boeck.

Additional information

HDB and SV equally contributed to the present study and share first authorship.

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De Boeck, H., Vandendriessche, S., Hallin, M. et al. Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage among healthcare workers in Kisangani, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 34, 1567–1572 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-015-2387-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-015-2387-9

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