Staphylococcus aureus and the ecology of the nasal microbiome | Science Advances

Staphylococcus aureus and the ecology of the nasal microbiome | Science Advances

Staphylococcus aureus and the ecology of the nasal microbiome

1. Cindy M. Liu1,2,3,*, 
2. Lance B. Price3,4, 
3. Bruce A. Hungate5, 
4. Alison G. Abraham6, 
5. Lisbeth A. Larsen7, 
6. Kaare Christensen7,8, 
7. Marc Stegger3,9, 
8. Robert Skov9 and 
9. Paal Skytt Andersen3,9,10

+ Author Affiliations

1. ↵*Corresponding author. E-mail: cliu5@jhmi.edu

Science Advances  01 Jun 2015:
Vol. 1, no. 5, e1400216
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1400216

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.