Abstract
Objective: to investigate the prevalence of golden Staphylococcus aureus isolated from the hands of health professionals at the Municipal Hospital of Governador Valadares (HMGV), Minas Gerais (Brazil). Methods: Observational, descriptive, quantitative study was conducted in May 2018. The sample consisted of 103 (one hundred and three) health professionals, including doctors, nurses, nursing technicians, radiology technicians and physiotherapists. The identification of Staphylococcus aureus was carried out using Mannitol Agar for the isolation of the samples and through the tests of catalase, coagulase and DNAse to identify them. Results: Of the 103 professionals evaluated, 21 were colonized, showing a prevalence of 20.39%. To determine the sensitivity of the samples, the disk-diffusion method in Agar was used, where 100% of the strains were sensitive to linezolid, with azithromycin being the antimicrobial with the highest resistance 83.33%. Conclusion: It was possible to demonstrate that, when hand hygiene is performed correctly, it promotes a considerable reduction in the presence of Staphylococcus aureos. Therefore, the training of professionals, in adhering to hygiene practices, associated with care in the prescription of antimicrobials, contributes to the prevention of the spread of these microorganisms.