1
|
van Tonder AJ, McCullagh F, McKeand H, Thaw S, Bellis K, Raisen C, Lay L, Aggarwal D, Holmes M, Parkhill J, Harrison EM, Kucharski A, Conlan A. Colonization and transmission of Staphylococcus aureus in schools: a citizen science project. Microb Genom 2023; 9:mgen000993. [PMID: 37074324 PMCID: PMC10210949 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Aggregation of children in schools has been established to be a key driver of transmission of infectious diseases. Mathematical models of transmission used to predict the impact of control measures, such as vaccination and testing, commonly depend on self-reported contact data. However, the link between self-reported social contacts and pathogen transmission has not been well described. To address this, we used Staphylococcus aureus as a model organism to track transmission within two secondary schools in England and test for associations between self-reported social contacts, test positivity and the bacterial strain collected from the same students. Students filled out a social contact survey and their S. aureus colonization status was ascertained through self-administered swabs from which isolates were sequenced. Isolates from the local community were also sequenced to assess the representativeness of school isolates. A low frequency of genome-linked transmission precluded a formal analysis of links between genomic and social networks, suggesting that S. aureus transmission within schools is too rare to make it a viable tool for this purpose. Whilst we found no evidence that schools are an important route of transmission, increased colonization rates found within schools imply that school-age children may be an important source of community transmission.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Sue Thaw
- St Bede's Inter-Church School, Cambridge, UK
| | - Katie Bellis
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Claire Raisen
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Liz Lay
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Dinesh Aggarwal
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mark Holmes
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Julian Parkhill
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ewan M. Harrison
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Adam Kucharski
- Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Andrew Conlan
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Nasal microbiome disruption and recovery after mupirocin treatment in Staphylococcus aureus carriers and noncarriers. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19738. [PMID: 36396730 PMCID: PMC9671894 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-21453-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Nasal decolonization procedures against the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus rely on topical antimicrobial drug usage, whose impact on the nasal microbiota is poorly understood. We examined this impact in healthy S. aureus carriers and noncarriers. This is a prospective interventional cohort study of 8 S. aureus carriers and 8 noncarriers treated with nasal mupirocin and chlorhexidine baths. Sequential nasal swabs were taken over 6 months. S. aureus was detected by quantitative culture and genotyped using spa typing. RNA-based 16S species-level metabarcoding was used to assess the living microbial diversity. The species Dolosigranulum pigrum, Moraxella nonliquefaciens and Corynebacterium propinquum correlated negatively with S. aureus carriage. Mupirocin treatment effectively eliminated S. aureus, D. pigrum and M. nonliquefaciens, but not corynebacteria. S. aureus recolonization in carriers occurred more rapidly than recolonization by the dominant species in noncarriers (median 3 vs. 6 months, respectively). Most recolonizing S. aureus isolates had the same spa type as the initial isolate. The impact of mupirocin-chlorhexidine treatment on the nasal microbiota was still detectable after 6 months. S. aureus recolonization predated microbiota recovery, emphasizing the strong adaptation of this pathogen to the nasal niche and the transient efficacy of the decolonization procedure.
Collapse
|
3
|
Kronbichler A, Harrison EM, Wagner J. Nasal microbiome research in ANCA-associated vasculitis: Strengths, limitations, and future directions. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2020; 19:415-423. [PMID: 33489010 PMCID: PMC7804347 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2020.12.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The human nasal microbiome is characterized by biodiversity and undergoes changes during the span of life. In granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), the persistent nasal colonization by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) assessed by culture-based detection methods has been associated with increased relapse frequency. Different research groups have characterized the nasal microbiome in patients with GPA and found that patients have a distinct nasal microbiome compared to controls, but the reported results between studies differed. In order to increase comparability, there is a need to standardize patient selection, sample preparation, and analytical methodology; particularly as low biomass samples like those obtained by nasal swabbing are impacted by reagent contamination. Optimization in obtaining a sample and processing with the inclusion of critical controls is needed for consistent comparative studies. Ongoing studies will analyze the nasal microbiome in GPA in a longitudinal way and the results will inform whether or not targeted antimicrobial management in a clinical trial should be pursued or not. This review focuses on the proposed role of S. aureus in GPA, the (healthy) nasal microbiome, findings in the first pilot studies in GPA, and will discuss future strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Kronbichler
- Department of Internal Medicine IV (Nephrology and Hypertension), Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
- Corresponding author at: Department of Internal Medicine IV (Nephrology and Hypertension), Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - Ewan M. Harrison
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CD10 1SA, United Kingdom
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Strangeways Research Laboratory, Worts Causeway, Cambridge CB1 8RN, United Kingdom
| | - Josef Wagner
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria, Australia
| |
Collapse
|