Skip to main content
Log in

Nasopharyngeal carriage ofStaphylococcus aureus and carriage of tetracycline-resistant strains associated with HIV-seropositivity

  • Article
  • Published:
European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The aim of this prospective study was to investigate the relationship between carriage of antibiotic-resistantStaphylococcus aureus and infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). A total of 554 pernasal swabs was taken during a six-month period from 554 adult patients attending three outpatient clinics and from inpatients from a hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Overall, 121 swabs (22 %) yieldedStaphylococcus aureus, there being significantly higher carriage in HIV-positive patients (71/264, 27 %) than in HIV-negative patients (50/290, 17 %); p=0.008. Antimicrobial resistance rates were determined for 110 isolates and were high for penicillin (91 %) and tetracycline (72 %) and low for erythromycin (8 %), methicillin (3 %), gentamicin (5 %) and chloramphenicol (0 %). Genetic analysis showed plasmids in the range of 24–42 MDa to be associated with β-lactamase production and plasmids in the range of 3–5 MDa to be associated with resistance to tetracycline, erythromycin and trimethoprim. All nine erythromycin-resistant strains were from HIV-positive patients (p=0.02). There was a significant association of tetracycline resistance with HIV seropositivity (p=0.002). The association of HIV seropositivity withStaphylococcus aureus carriage and carriage of antibiotic-resistant strains against the background of the HIV epidemic are of relevance in individual patient care and raise concern for public health.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Godfrey ME, Smith IM: Hospital hazards of staphylococcal sepsis. Journal of the American Medical Association 1958, 166: 1197–1201.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Tuazon CU, Perez A, Kishaba T, Sheagren SN:Staphylococcus aureus among insulin-injecting diabetic patients. Journal of the American Medical Association 1975, 231: 1272.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Tuazon CU, Murray HW, Parrish AE, Sheagren SN:Staphylococcus aureus carriage rate of patients receiving long-term hemodialysis. Archives of Internal Medicine 1978, 138: 1657–1659.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Tuazon CU, Sheagren SN: Increased rate of carriage ofStaphylococcus aureus among narcotic addicts. Journal of Infectious Diseases 1974, 129: 725–727.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Ganesh R, Castle D, McGibbon D, Phillips I, Bradbeer C: Staphylococcal carriage and HIV infection. Lancet 1989, ii: 558.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Battan R, Raviglione MC, Wallace J, Cort S, Boyle JF, Taranta A:S. aureus carriage among homosexual men with and without HIV infection. American Journal of Infection Control 1991, 19: 98–100.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Weinke T, Schiller R, Fehrenbach FJ, Pohle HD: Association betweenStaphylococcus aureus nasopharyngeal colonization and septicemia in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases 1992, 11: 985–989.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Jacobson MA, Gellerman H, Chambers H:Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia and recurrent staphylococcal infection in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and AIDS-related complex. American Journal of Medicine 1988, 85: 172–176.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Gabriel Botella F, Labios Gómez M, Balaguer Martínez JV, Vera Sempere G, Tormo Díaz M, Roda Ribera J: Endocarditis en adictos a drogas por vía parenteral: estudio de 57 casos. Annales de Medicina Interna 1992, 9: 473–477.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Widrow CA, Kellie SM, Saltzman BR, Mathur-Wagh U: Pyomyositis in patients with the human immunodeficiency virus: an unusual form of disseminated bacterial infection. American Journal of Medicine 1991, 91: 129–136.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Schwartzman WA, Lambertus MW, Kennedy CA, Goetz MB: Staphylococcal pyomyositis in patients infected by the human immunodeficiency virus. American Journal of Medicine 1991, 90: 595–600.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Christin L, Sarosi GA: Pyomyositis in North America: case reports and reviews. Clinical Infectious Diseases 1992, 15: 668–677.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Muñoz Fernández S, Quiralte J, del Arco A, Balsa A, Cardenal A, Peña JM, Vázquez JJ, Gijón Baños J: Osteoarticular infection associated with the human immunodeficiency virus. Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology 1991, 9: 489–493.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Hughes RA, Rowe IF, Shanson D, Keat AC: Septic bone, joint and muscle lesions associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection. British Journal of Rheumatology 1992, 31: 381–388.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Dreyfuss D, Djedaini K, Bidault-Lapomme C, Coste F: Nontraumatic acute anterior mediastinitis in two HIV-positive heroin addicts. Chest 1992, 101: 583–585.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Aristimuno B, Nirankari VS, Hemady RK, Rodrigues MM: Spontaneous ulcerative keratitis in immunocompromised patients. American Journal of Ophthalmology 1993, 115: 202–208.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Berger TG, Obuch ML, Goldschmidt RH: Dermatologic manifestations of HIV infection. American Family Physician 1990, 41: 1729–1742.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Jaffe D, May LP, Sanchez M, Moy J: Staphylococcal sepsis in HIV antibody seropositive psoriasis patients. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 1991, 24: 970–972.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Pos O, Stevenhagen A, Meenhorst PL, Kroon FP, Van Furth R: Impaired phagocytosis ofStaphylococcus aureus by granulocytes and monocytes of AIDS patients. Clinical and Experimental Immunology 1992, 88: 23–28.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Gilks CF, Brindle RJ, Otieno LS, Simani PM, Newnham RS, Bhatt SM, Lule GN, Okelo GBA, Watkins WM, Waiyaki PG, Were JBO, Warrell DA: Life threatening bacteraemia in HIV-1 seropositive adults admitted to hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Lancet 1990, 336: 545–549.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Milne LM, Curtis GDW, Crow M, Kraak WAG, Selkon JB: Comparison of culture media for detecting methicillin resistance inStaphylococcus aureus and coagulase negative staphylococci. Journal of Clinical Pathology 1987, 40: 1178–1181.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Birnboim HC, Doly J: A rapid alkaline extraction procedure for screening recombinant plasmid DNA. Nucleic Acids Research 1979, 7: 1513–1523.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Chuard C, Vaudaux P, Waldvogal FA, Lew DP: Susceptibility ofStaphylococcus aureus on fibronectincoated surfaces to bactericidal antibiotics. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 1993, 37: 625–632.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Barry AL, Thornsberry C: Susceptibility tests: diffusion test procedures. In: Lennette EH, Balows A, Hausler WJ, Shadomy HG (ed): Manual of clinical microbiology. American Society for Microbiology, Washington, 1985, p. 978–987.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Amir, M., Paul, J., Batchelor, B. et al. Nasopharyngeal carriage ofStaphylococcus aureus and carriage of tetracycline-resistant strains associated with HIV-seropositivity. Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 14, 34–40 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02112615

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02112615

Keywords

Navigation