Objective: To determine if the prevalence of non-symptomatic nasopharyngeal carriers of pathogenic germs is higher in health workers of primary care than in the general population.
Design: Cross-sectional, observational study.
Setting: Primary Care. Salamanca Urban Area.
Participants: Seventy-six Health Centre workers from Salamanca and 152 individuals representing the general population attending the Health Centers were studied. People with pathology related to the study subject or with inmunitary problems were excluded.
Measurements and main results: A nasopharyngeal sample was carried out using a swab. The relative prevalence of carriers (sanitary workers vs general population) was 0.38 (c.i. 0.20-0.72) for Staphylococcus aureus and 0.56 (c.i. 0.34-0.93) for all pathogens. No significant differences were found according to sex.
Conclusions: The prevalence of non-symptomatic nasopharyngeal carriers is higher in general population than in the group of primary care workers.