A Cross-Sectional Study ofStaphylococcus AureusColonization and the Nasal and Oropharyngeal Microbiomes

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundStaphylococcus aureusis a frequent cause of both infections globally. Colonization with the organism is known to increase the risk of developing infections and occurs in roughly one third of the general population. While many factors influence colonization, it has been demonstrated other members of the microbiome influence colonization withS. aureus. Here, we assessed the nasal and oropharyngeal microbiomes of healthy participants in relation toS. aureuscolonization in a cross-sectional study using 16s rRNA sequencing of the v1-v3 region. As livestock workers have also been shown to be at an increased risk of carriage, we have also assessed microbiota differences in colonization status in a population of livestock workers.ResultsIn both the nares and oropharynx, there were no microbiota differentially abundant between colonized and non-colonized persons. However, there was a significant difference in the beta diversity (Bray-Curtis distances) between carriers and non-carriers (P=0.002). When considering carriage stratified by livestock exposure, there were a number of differences. Most notably, colonized livestock workers had significantly morePorphyomonas(2-fold change = -8.54,P= 0.03) than the non-colonized livestock workers.ConclusionsS. aureusis a frequent colonizer of the human upper respiratory tract, including the nares and oropharynx and causes a wide range of infections. Livestock workers are at increased risk for carriage. Interventions such as improving oral hygiene may lead to decreasedS. aureuscarriage by reducing other bacterial species such asPorphyomonas. Larger, longitudinal studies are needed to better explore what microorganisms may be associated withS. aureuscolonization.