prevalence of staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage in athletes across varying body mass index categories

Obesity is associated with an increased risk of infection in athletes, and staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization is a particular concern. this study aimed to investigate whether different bmis are associated with s. aureus colonization in athletes. s. aureus colonization was assessed using nasal swab cultures from 510 male and female athletes, aged 14–55 years, in a population-based study conducted in zakho city between 2021 and 2022. height and weight were measured, and demographic information was analyzed using graphpad prism. the nasal carriage rate of s. aureus was 30.8% (157 out of 510 individuals). this rate was higher in obese individuals (46.4%), though this difference was not statistically significant (p<0.113). the highest nasal carriage rate in males was observed in obese individuals (53.85%), while the highest rate in females was observed in the overweight group (46.15%). our results suggest that an increase in bmi may increase the likelihood of s. aureus nasal colonization in athletes. future research should focus on the role of obesity in different age groups and genders. obesity is associated with an increased risk of infection in athletes, and staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization is a particular concern. this study aimed to investigate whether different bmis are associated with s. aureus colonization in athletes. s. aureus colonization was assessed using nasal swab cultures from 510 male and female athletes, aged 14–55 years, in a population-based study conducted in zakho city between 2021 and 2022. height and weight were measured, and demographic information was analyzed using graphpad prism. the nasal carriage rate of s. aureus was 30.8% (157 out of 510 individuals). this rate was higher in obese individuals (46.4%), though this difference was not statistically significant (p<0.113). the highest nasal carriage rate in males was observed in obese individuals (53.85%), while the highest rate in females was observed in the overweight group (46.15%). our results suggest that an increase in bmi may increase the likelihood of s. aureus nasal colonization in athletes. future research should focus on the role of obesity in different age groups and genders.