Introduction. As part of the surveillance of staphylococcal infections in the armed forces, a study was conducted to assess the prevalence of nasal carriage of S. aureus at the time of entry into military service among a population of young recruits from the civilian population. Method. The study, conducted at two French Navy training schools between January and March 2006, included a questionnaire survey and a nasal swab at the time of enlistment. The isolated S. aureus strains underwent antibiotic susceptibility testing and screening for the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL+) gene. Results. Of 512 young recruits, 169, or 33.0% (95% CI: 28.9%–37.3%), were nasal carriers of S. aureus. With the exception of penicillin G and erythromycin, S. aureus isolates were highly susceptible to antibiotics typically active against this bacterium. Young recruits who had acne at the time of the study or within the previous two years had a significantly higher prevalence of S. aureus carriage than those without acne (42.5% vs. 29.2%, p<0.001). Only one strain was methicillin-resistant (0.6%) and 3 were PVL-positive (1.8%). Discussion. The prevalence of nasal carriage of S. aureus (33%) in a group of young adults from the general population who had not lived in a communal setting is comparable to that estimated for the general population in France by the CNR in 2005 (30%). The prevalence of antibiotic resistance and LPV among the isolated S. aureus strains was low in this population. (R.A.)