Abstract
The distribution and occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus in a non-hospital open community was studied by examining weekly groups of 50 healthy adults and children. Isolations were made from the nose, throat and hand, all the subjects (with the exception of one adult) yielded Staphylococcus aureus, children wore generally persistent carriers and adults transient carriers. There was a significant correlation between isolation rate and ambient temperature and evidence that cross infection occurs between adults and children. 1,357 staphylococci were isolated from adults and 2,479 cultured from children : 60.1 per cent, from children and 49.1 per cent, from adults were susceptible to standard bacteriophages, generally being lysed by group I phages, less frequently phages of raised groups or, in the case of strains from children, group II. Forty eight per cent, of labiates were resistant to penicillin, whilst 6 to 7 per cent, resisted fucidin and streptomycin. Approximately 2 per cent, of isolates resisted methicillin, chloramphenicol, novobiocin and erythromycin, 810 strains were tested with further antibiotics and 0.9 to 7.3 per cent, were resistant to vancomycin, lincomycin, kanamycin and chlortetracycline. No association between pattern of phage susceptibility and antibiotic resistance emerged. Seven strains resistant to methicillin and typable with phages of group I complex (52, 52A, 80, 8I) or group II (55/71; 7l), were isolated from adults and children. Multiple antibiotic resistant strains were isolated occasionally during the survey from adults and children. The presence of plasmids, detected by curing techniques, appeared to be a significant mechanism determining multiple antibiotic resistance; a high proportion of these strains produced penioillinase.