Staphylococcus aureus and the ecology of the nasal microbiome

Authors

Cindy M. LiuFollow
Lance B. Price, George Washington UniversityFollow
Bruce A. Hungate
Alison G. Abraham
Lisbeth A. Larsen
Kaare Christensen
Marc SteggerFollow
Robert Skov
Paal Skytt Andersen

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2015

Journal

Science Advances

Volume

Volume 1, Issue 5

Inclusive Pages

e1400216

Abstract

The human microbiome can play a key role in host susceptibility to pathogens, including in the nasal cavity, a site favored by Staphylococcus aureus. However, what determines our resident nasal microbiota—the host or the environment—and can interactions among nasal bacteria determine S. aureus colonization? Our study of 46 monozygotic and 43 dizygotic twin pairs revealed that nasal microbiota is an environmentally derived trait, but the host’s sex and genetics significantly influence nasal bacterial density. Although specific taxa, including lactic acid bacteria, can determine S. aureus colonization, their negative interactions depend on thresholds of absolute abundance. These findings demonstrate that nasal microbiota is not fixed by host genetics and opens the possibility that nasal microbiota may be manipulated to prevent or eliminate S. aureus colonization.

Comments

Reproduced with permission of AAAS. Science Advances.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

APA Citation

Liu, C., Price, L.B., Hungate, B.A., Abraham, A.G., Larsen, L.A. et al. (2015). Staphylococcus aureus and the ecology of the nasal microbiome. Science Advances, 1(5): e1400216.

Peer Reviewed

1

Open Access

1