Nasopharyngeal Carriage and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profile of Among Children Under Five Years in Accra

This cross-sectional study investigated the and methicillin-resistant (MRSA) nasopharyngeal carriage epidemiology in Accra approximately five years post-pneumococcal conjugate vaccines introduction in the country. Archived nasopharyngeal swabs collected from 410 children aged under five years old were bacteriologically cultured. The resultant isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing and screening for carriage of the and () genes, following standard procedures. The data obtained were analyzed with Statistical Products and Services Solutions (SPSS) using descriptive statistics and Chi square tests of associations. The isolated bacteria decreased across coagulase-negative Staphylococci (47.3%, = 194), (23.2%, = 95), Diphtheroids (5.4%, = 22), species (3.7%, = 15), (3.2%, = 13), species and species (1.5% each, = 6), , species, and species (0.9% each, = 2). The MRSA carriage prevalence was 0.49% ( = 2). Individuals aged 37-48 months recorded the highest proportion of carriage (32.6%, 31/95). Resistance of to the antibiotics tested were penicillin G (97.9%, = 93), amoxiclav (20%, = 19), tetracycline (18.9%, = 18), erythromycin (5.3%, = 5), ciprofloxacin (2.1%, = 2), gentamicin (1.1%, = 1), cotrimoxazole, clindamycin, linezolid, and teicoplanin (0% each). No inducible clindamycin resistance was observed for the erythromycin-resistant isolates. Three (3.2%) of the isolates were multidrug resistant, of which 66.7% (2/3) were MRSA. The gene was associated with 59.14% (55/93) of the methicillin-sensitive (MSSA) isolates, but was not detected among any of the MRSA isolates.