Localization of Staphylococcus aureus in tissue from the nasal vestibule in healthy carriers

Abstract

BackgroundColonization of the body is an important step in Staphylococcus aureus infection. S. aureus colonizes skin and mucous membranes in humans and several animal species. One important ecological niche of S. aureus is the anterior nares. More than 60% of the S. aureus in the nose are found in vestibulum nasi. Our aim was to describe the localization of S. aureus in nasal tissue from healthy carriers.MethodsPunch skin biopsies were taken from vestibulum nasi from healthy volunteers (S. aureus carriers and non−/intermittent carriers, n = 39) attending the population-based Tromsø 6 study. The tissue samples were processed as frozen sections before immunostaining with a specific S. aureus antibody, and finally evaluated by a confocal laser-scanning microscope.ResultsOur results suggest that S. aureus colonize both the upper and lower layers of the epidermis within the nasal epithelium of healthy individuals. The number of S. aureus in epidermis was surprisingly low. Intracellular localization of S. aureus in nasal tissue from healthy individuals was also detected.ConclusionsKnowledge of the exact localization of S. aureus in nasal tissue is important for the understanding of the host responses against S. aureus. Our results may have consequences for the eradication strategy of S. aureus in carriers, and further work can provide us with tools for targeted prevention of S. aureus colonisation and infection.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12866-017-0997-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Pastoral community practices, microbial quality and associated health risks of raw milk in the milk value chain of Nakasongola District, Uganda

“…The bacterial isolate was S. aureus which could be from milk handlers that lacked appropriate protective wear and good hygienic practices (Table 3). Evidently, S. aureus is a commensal bacteria from nasal passages of healthy humans (Hanssen et al 2017), and during coughing or sneezing, the bacteria shed into milk. Aside from humans, S. aureus and CoNS could be associated with sub-clinical mastitis which is common in milking cows in Uganda (Kateete et al 2013;Kasozi et al 2014).…”

Evaluation of the Pig-Tailed Macaque (Macaca nemestrina) as a Model of Human Staphylococcus aureus Nasal Carriage

“…Given the obvious hygiene differences between macaques and humans, it will still be important to determine potential host immune differences that might permit an elevated yet asymptomatic S. aureus load in the nasal mucosa. Future studies that should be feasible in pig-tailed macaques include the determination of anti-S. aureus antibody profiles, intracellular S. aureus levels in the nasal epidermis of macaque noses (43), and identification of infiltrating immune cell populations during S. aureus carriage and upon its resolution.…”

In or out: Phagosomal escape ofStaphylococcus aureus

“…there is growing evidence demonstrating intracellular S. aureus in tissue cells in vivo. For example, intracellular bacteria were identified in human tonsils (Zautner et al, 2010), nasal polyps (Hayes et al, 2015), within in the nasal mucosa of patients with recurrent sinusitis (Clement et al, 2005;Ou et al, 2016;Plouin-Gaudon et al, 2006) and even within nasal vestibule tissue samples from healthy carriers (Hanssen et al, 2017). Infected cells therefore form bacterial reservoirs, which are hypothesized to account for bacterial persistence in the host and recurrence of disease.…”