Staphylococcus aureus is a frequent cause of infections in both the community and hospital. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus continues to be an important nosocomial pathogen and infections are often difficult to manage due to its resistance to multiple antibiotics. Aims and objectives: Aim of the study is to determine the nasal carriage rate of S. aureus and also to detect the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of the isolates, which include methicillin resistance among medical

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... dents Inclusion criteria: Medical students who have just passed 1st yr and started attending clinical postings. Exclusion criteria: History of antibiotic usage, students using nasal drops for any treatment, recent hospitalisation. Materials and methods: Nasal swabs were collected, and isolation of Staphylococcus aureus was and they were identified using conventional culture methods. Routine antibiotic susceptibility test was performed by modified Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method by using 0.5 Mc Farland standards. Methicillin resistance is be detected by using cefoxitin disc as per CLSI guidelines. Results: Of 91 samples the nasal carriage of S.aureus is seen in 18 students (19.7%), among them MRSA is identified in 3 students (11.1%). Overall prevalence of MRSA is 3 out of 91(2.1%).