Open AccessCarriage prevalence and genomic epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus among Native American children and adults in the Southwestern USA
Author(s) -
Eleonora Cella,
Catherine G. Sutcliffe,
Carol Tso,
Ella Paul,
Nina Ritchie,
Janene Colelay,
Estar Denny,
Lindsay R. Grant,
Robert Weatherholtz,
Laura L. Hammitt,
Taj Azarian
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
microbial genomics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.476
H-Index - 28
ISSN - 2057-5858
DOI - 10.1099/mgen.0.000806
Subject(s) - carriage , epidemiology , population , staphylococcus aureus , medicine , transmission (telecommunications) , staphylococcal infections , risk factor , environmental health , demography , biology , genetics , pathology , sociology , bacteria , electrical engineering , engineering
Native American individuals in the Southwestern USA experience a higher burden of invasive Staphylococcus aureus disease than the general population. However, little is known about S. aureus carriage in these communities. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the carriage prevalence, risk factors and genomic epidemiology of S. aureus among Native American children (<5 years, n =121) and adults (≥18 years, n =167) in the Southwestern USA. Short- and long-read sequencing data were generated using Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Technology platforms to produce high-quality hybrid assemblies, and antibiotic-resistance, virulence and pangenome analyses were performed. S. aureus carriage prevalence was 20.7 % among children, 30.2 % among adults 18-64 years and 16.7 % among adults ≥65 years. Risk factors among adults included recent surgery, prior S. aureus infection among household members, and recent use of gyms or locker rooms by household members. No risk factors were identified among children. The bacterial population structure was dominated by clonal complex 1 (CC1) (21.1 %), CC5 (22.2 %) and CC8 (22.2 %). Isolates from children and adults were intermixed throughout the phylogeny. While the S. aureus population was diverse, the carriage prevalence was comparable to that in the general USA population. Genomic and risk-factor data suggest household, community and healthcare transmission are important components of the local epidemiology.