Prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Among Radiology Technicians in Hospitals in Misurata, Libya

Prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Among Radiology Technicians in Hospitals in Misurata, Libya | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Among Radiology Technicians in Hospitals in Misurata, Libya Mohanned Mohamed Alwashaish, Mohamed Abd-alsamea Almogassbi, Elham Elhadi Elzwawi This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7388642/v2 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Abstract Background Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of healthcare-associated infections, and healthcare workers (HCWs) can serve as potential reservoirs for transmission. Data on MRSA colonization among radiology technicians, particularly in Libya, are limited. Objectives To estimate the prevalence of MRSA among radiology technicians in Misurata, Libya, and to describe antimicrobial resistance patterns and potential occupational factors. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in two hospitals in Misurata between May and June 2024. Hand swabs were collected from radiology technicians and processed using standard microbiological methods. MRSA identification was based on Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with 95% confidence intervals. Results Of 60 participants, 66.7% carried bacteria; Staphylococcus aureus accounted for 85% of isolates, of which 76.5% were MRSA. The overall prevalence of MRSA colonization among radiology technicians was 43.3% (95% CI: 27–61%). Ciprofloxacin resistance was observed in 23.1% of MRSA isolates. Exploratory analyses suggested higher MRSA carriage among less experienced technicians and those working in Computed Tomography (CT), although these associations were not statistically significant. Conclusions This study provides preliminary evidence of MRSA carriage among radiology technicians in Misurata. While limited by sample size, sampling method, and restricted antimicrobial testing, the findings suggest that radiology departments should be considered in broader infection prevention discussions. Further multicenter and molecular studies are required to confirm these observations and to inform tailored infection control strategies. Infectious Diseases Methicillin‑resistant Staphylococcus aureus MRSA radiology technicians antimicrobial resistance occupational health infection prevention Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. 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Libya\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":true,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Methicillin‑resistant Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA, radiology technicians, antimicrobial resistance, occupational health, infection prevention","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7388642/v2","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7388642/v2","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eMethicillin-resistant \u003cem\u003eStaphylococcus aureus\u003c/em\u003e (MRSA) is a major cause of healthcare-associated infections, and healthcare workers (HCWs) can serve as potential reservoirs for transmission. Data on MRSA colonization among radiology technicians, particularly in Libya, are limited.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eObjectives\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo estimate the prevalence of MRSA among radiology technicians in Misurata, Libya, and to describe antimicrobial resistance patterns and potential occupational factors.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eA cross-sectional study was conducted in two hospitals in Misurata between May and June 2024. Hand swabs were collected from radiology technicians and processed using standard microbiological methods. MRSA identification was based on Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with 95% confidence intervals.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eOf 60 participants, 66.7% carried bacteria; \u003cem\u003eStaphylococcus aureus\u003c/em\u003e accounted for 85% of isolates, of which 76.5% were MRSA. The overall prevalence of MRSA colonization among radiology technicians was 43.3% (95% CI: 27\u0026ndash;61%). Ciprofloxacin resistance was observed in 23.1% of MRSA isolates. Exploratory analyses suggested higher MRSA carriage among less experienced technicians and those working in Computed Tomography (CT), although these associations were not statistically significant.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusions\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis study provides preliminary evidence of MRSA carriage among radiology technicians in Misurata. While limited by sample size, sampling method, and restricted antimicrobial testing, the findings suggest that radiology departments should be considered in broader infection prevention discussions. Further multicenter and molecular studies are required to confirm these observations and to inform tailored infection control strategies.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Among Radiology Technicians in Hospitals in Misurata, Libya","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":2,"date":"2025-10-10 17:13:04","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7388642/v2","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}},{"code":1,"date":"2025-09-09 04:54:47","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7388642/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"ba88a74e-93f8-4fcb-aabf-a35f0a28e691","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 10th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":56054621,"name":"Infectious Diseases"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-10-09T06:38:58+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-10-10 17:13:04","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v2","identity":"rs-7388642","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7388642","identity":"rs-7388642","version":["v2"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}