Table 1.
Oropharyngeal (OP) and nasal (NAS) carriage of Staphylococcus aureus by healthy children living in Milan by age and S. aureus susceptibility to methicillin
| Age group | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <10 years | 10-14 years | ≥15 years | Total | |||||||||
| n = 199 | n = 213 | n = 85 | n = 497 | |||||||||
| OP | NAS | Both | OP | NAS | Both | OP | NAS | Both | OP | NAS | Both | |
| N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | N (%) | |
| MRSA | 0 | 1 (0.5) | 0 | 1 (0.5) | 0 | 1 (1.2) | 0 | 3 (0.6) | ||||
| MSSA | 42 (21.1) | 77 (38.7) | 51 (23.9) | 89 (41.8) | 36 (42.3) | 26 (30.6) | 129 (26.0) | 192 (38.6) | ||||
| Total S. aureus | 42 (21.1) | 78 (39.2) | 21 (10.5) | 51 (23.9) | 90 (42.2) | 24 (11.3) | 36 (42.3) | 27 (31.8) | 15 (17.6) | 129 (26.0) | 195 (39.2) | 60 (12.1) |
MRSA: methicillin-resistant S. aureus; MSSA: methicillin-susceptible S. aureus; NAS: nasal; OP: oropharyngeal.
All of the Cohen’s kappa coefficients for agreement between total nasal and oropharyngeal S. aureus carriage were <0.20 (no or little agreement). Total oropharyngeal S. aureus (and MSSA) carriage differed by age group (p < 0.001). There was no other significant age-related difference.