Nasal Microenvironments and Interspecific Interactions Influence Nasal Microbiota Complexity and S. aureus Carriage

Abstract

Summary The indigenous microbiota of the nasal cavity plays important roles in human health and disease. Patterns of spatial variation in microbiota composition may help explain Staphylococcus aureus colonization, and reveal interspecies and species-host interactions. To assess the biogeography of the nasal microbiota, we sampled healthy subjects, representing both S. aureus carriers and non-carriers, at 3 nasal sites (anterior naris, middle meatus, and sphenoethmoidal recess). Phylogenetic compositional and sparse linear discriminant analyses revealed communities that differed according to site epithelium type and S. aureus culture-based carriage status. Corynebacterium accolens and C. pseudodiphtheriticum were identified as the most important microbial community determinants of S. aureus carriage, with competitive interactions evident only at sites with ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium. In vitro co-cultivation experiments provided supporting evidence of interactions among these species. These results highlight spatial variation in nasal microbial communities and differences in community composition between S. aureus carriers and non-carriers.

High MRSA Carriage Rate among Nursing Microbiology Students

“…Our results showed that 80% of people with abnormal nasal anatomy were carriers of MRSA, while those with normal nasal anatomy did not test positive for MRSA. These findings agreed with other studies that have been done showing that having a deviated septum or enlarged turbinates can increase the likelihood of colonization by MRSA after exposure [9]. Future studies of MRSA will continue to sample multiple body sites and evaluation of nasal anatomy will also be evaluated.…”

Staphylococcus aureusandStreptococcus pneumoniaeinteraction and response to pneumococcal vaccination: Myth or reality?

“…Analysis of the nasal microbiome by Lina et al found a negative association between Corynebacterium species and S. aureus carriage, 28 and similarly, Yan et al found that various species of Corynebacterium were either positively (C. accolens) or negatively (C. pseudodiphtheriticum) associated with the presence of S. aureus. Evidence for these interactions was seen in vitro 44 and in vivo, as artificial inoculation of S. aureus carriers with a species of Corynebacterium was shown to eradicate a resident S. aureus species. 46 Another bacteria that was also suggested to interact with S. aureus in the nose is Staphylococcus epidermidis.…”

“…42 Metagenomic analyses showed the presence of a highly diverse nasopharyngeal microbiome including up to 2042 observed operational taxonomic units and as many as 1,219,310 observed unique sequences. 4,43,44 Considering the vast diversity in the nasal microbiome with which the two pathogens interact, the relationship between the two pathogens should take into consideration the possible roles of other species in the nasal microbiome, possibly by inhibiting or promoting the growth of S. aureus or S. pneumoniae.…”

International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Rhinosinusitis

“…In health, the anterior nasal cavity, middle meatus, and sphenoethmoidal recess are populated by a temporally stable microbiome 441 that appears to be highly individualized. 442 Yan et al 441 demonstrated differences between microbiota of the anterior nares vs the deeper anatomic subsites, but a thorough comparison within the sinuses has yet to be published.…”