A quantitative assessment of Staphylococcus aureus community carriage in Yuma, Arizona

Benjamin Russakoff, Pathogen & Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.
Colin Wood, Pathogen & Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.
Monica R. Lininger, Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.
Steven D. Barger, Department of Psychological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.
Robert T. Trotter, Department of Anthropology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.
Sara Maltinsky, Pathogen & Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.
Mimi Mbegbu, Pathogen & Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.
Briana Coyne, Pathogen & Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.
David Panisello Yague, Pathogen & Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.
Shari Kyman, Pathogen & Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.
Kara Tucker-Morgan, Northern Arizona University-Yuma, Yuma, Arizona, USA.
Kathya Ceniceros, Northern Arizona University-Yuma, Yuma, Arizona, USA.
Cristina Padilla, Northern Arizona University-Yuma, Yuma, Arizona, USA.
Kevin Hurtado, Northern Arizona University-Yuma, Yuma, Arizona, USA.
Ashley Menard, Northern Arizona University-Yuma, Yuma, Arizona, USA.
Francisco Villa, Northern Arizona University-Yuma, Yuma, Arizona, USA.
Heidi A. Wayment, Department of Psychological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.
Crystal Hepp, School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.
Tara Furstenau, School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.
Viacheslav Fofanov, School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.
Cindy M. Liu, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
Talima R. Pearson, Pathogen & Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

11-2-2022

Journal

The Journal of infectious diseases

DOI

10.1093/infdis/jiac438

Keywords

Staphylococcus aureus; Culturing S. aureus; Quantitative carriage; SaQuant; carriage of S. aureus; molecular detection of S. aureus

Abstract

Disease control relies on pathogen identification and understanding reservoirs. Staphylococcus aureus infection prevention is based upon decades of research on colonization and infection, but diminishing returns from mitigation efforts suggest significant knowledge gaps. Existing knowledge and mitigation protocols are founded upon culture-based detection, with almost no information about pathogen quantities. We employed a qPCR assay on samples from three body sites to characterize colonization more comprehensively than previous studies by describing both prevalence and pathogen quantity. We show a much higher overall prevalence (65.9%) than previously documented, with higher quantities and prevalence associated with the nares, non-Hispanic males (86.9%), and correlating with colonization in other body sites. These results suggest that research and clinical practices likely misclassify over half of colonized persons, limiting mitigation measures and their impact. This work begins the process of rebuilding foundational knowledge of S. aureus carriage with more accurate and wholistic approaches.

Department

Environmental and Occupational Health

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