Is nasal MRSA carriage a concern among African people and local communities in North Cyprus?

Ayse Arikan; Noor Nassar; John O Awosanya; Meryem Güvenir; Özlem Ünaldi; Zekiye Bakkaloğlu; Serap Süzük Yildiz

doi:10.3855/jidc.21710

Is nasal MRSA carriage a concern among African people and local communities in North Cyprus?

Authors

Ayse Arikan Near East University, DESAM Research Institute, Nicosia, TRNC Mersin 10, Turkey
Noor Nassar Near East University, Department of Medical Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, TRNC Mersin 10, Turkey
John O Awosanya Near East University, Department of Medical Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, TRNC Mersin 10, Turkey
Meryem Güvenir Cyprus Health and Social Sciences University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology, Güzelyurt, TRNC, Mersin 10, Turkey
Özlem Ünaldi Ministry of Health General Directorate of Public Health, Department of Microbiology Reference Laboratory and Biological Products, Ankara, Turkey https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5560-6558
Zekiye Bakkaloğlu University of Health Sciences Dr. Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Ankara Oncology Training and Research Hospital, Department of Clinical Microbiology, Ankara, Turkey https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9137-016X
Serap Süzük Yildiz University of Health Sciences Dr. Abdurrahman Yurtaslan Ankara Oncology Training and Research Hospital, Department of Clinical Microbiology, Ankara, Turkey https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4820-6986

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3855/jidc.21710

Keywords:

African, Northern Cyprus, MRSA, students

Abstract

Introduction: The long-standing epidemic of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has proven to be a challenging problem to solve and is becoming even more complex in a globalized world where there is little evidence of AMR patterns among multinational communities. This study aimed to determine the frequency of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriage among African and local students in Northern Cyprus.

Methodology: Nasal swabs were collected from African and local students between October 2023 and December 2023. The clinical samples were screened for the presence of MRSA. AMR bacterial isolates were tested by phenotypic and genotypic analysis to determine the MRSA status.

Results: A total of 300 participants were included in the study: One hundred and fifty of them were African students (50%) and 150 were local students (50%), The prevalence of nasal MRSA carriage in African and local students was determined as 3% and 6%, respectively.

Conclusions: This study is a population-based study investigating the prevalence and distribution of MRSA in Africa and is the first to be conducted in the local population of Northern Cyprus. It highlights the presence of MRSA in the community and the impact of global migration on AMR, highlighting the need for public health measures.

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Published

2026-06-30

How to Cite

Arikan A, Nassar N, Awosanya JO, Güvenir M, Ünaldi Özlem, Bakkaloğlu Z, Süzük Yildiz S (2026) Is nasal MRSA carriage a concern among African people and local communities in North Cyprus?. J Infect Dev Ctries 20:816–821. doi: 10.3855/jidc.21710

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Issue

Vol. 20 No. 06: June 2026

Section

Original Articles

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