This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Probiotics may reduce S. aureus, MRSA risk
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
An analysis of twins demonstrated that a person’s environment plays a greater role in nasal colonization of bacteria than their genetics.
The findings raise the possibility that nasal microbiota can be “manipulated” to prevent Staphylococcus aureus colonization and subsequent infection, according to researchers.
“This study is important because it suggests that the bacteria in the nose are not defined by our genes and that we may be able to introduce good bacteria to knock out the bad bugs like [S. aureus],” Lance B. Price, PhD, director of the Center of Microbiomics and Human Health at the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Arizona, said in a press release. “Using probiotics to promote gut health has become common in our culture. Now we’re looking to use these same strategies to prevent the spread of superbugs.”
Price, along with Cindy M. Liu, MD, MPH, PhD, a pathology resident at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and colleagues analyzed the nasal microbiome of 46 monozygotic and 43 dizygotic twin pairs from the Danish Twin Registry to discover whether host genetics or their environments determine resident nasal microbiota, and how interactions between bacteria in the nasal cavity influence S. aureus colonization.
Lance B. Price
DNA sequencing showed that host genetics played no significant role in the composition of nasal microbiota, and contrary to previous studies suggesting that men are at higher risk for S. aureus nasal colonization than women, gender was not associated with a greater likelihood of colonization.
“This was a surprising finding,” Liu said in the release. “I felt like I was one of the MythBusters guys. For years, most scientists agreed that men were more likely to be colonized by [S. aureus] than women.”
However, host genetics and gender did significantly influence nasal bacterial density. According to the researchers, approximately 30% (95% CI, 46%-94%) of the variation in bacterial density in nasal cavities was heritable and, on average, nasal bacterial density in women was half that found in men.
The analysis also revealed that the presence of certain taxa — notably, the benign Corynebacterium — can disrupt S. aureus colonization, suggesting that probiotic treatments could prevent infection with potentially harmful drug-resistant bacteria.
“We believe this study provides the early evidence that the introduction of probiotics could work to prevent or knock out Staph from the nose,” Liu said. – by John Schoen
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts