This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Supplemental material
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Sakwinska, O.
Right arrow Articles by Moreillon, P.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Sakwinska, O.
Right arrow Articles by Moreillon, P.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Sakwinska, O.
Right arrow Articles by Moreillon, P.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2009, p. 175-183, Vol. 75, No. 1
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01860-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Genetic Diversity and Ecological Success of Staphylococcus aureus Strains Colonizing Humans {triangledown} ,{dagger}

Olga Sakwinska,1* Gerrit Kuhn,2,4 Carlo Balmelli,2,5 Patrick Francioli,2 Marlyse Giddey,1 Vincent Perreten,3 Andrea Riesen,3 Frédéric Zysset,2,6 Dominique S. Blanc,2 and Philippe Moreillon1

Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland,1 Hospital Preventive Medicine of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland,2 Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland,3 Applied Biosystems, Rotkreuz, Switzerland,4 Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Bellinzona, Switzerland,5 Swiss Medical Society for Occupational Health, Lausanne, Switzerland6

Received 9 July 2008/ Accepted 24 October 2008

The genetic determinants and phenotypic traits which make a Staphylococcus aureus strain a successful colonizer are largely unknown. The genetic diversity and population structure of 133 S. aureus isolates from healthy, generally risk-free adult carriers were investigated using four different typing methods: multilocus sequence typing (MLST), amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis (AFLP), double-locus sequence typing (DLST), and spa typing were compared. Carriage isolates displayed great genetic diversity which could only be revealed fully by DLST. Results of AFLP and MLST were highly concordant in the delineation of genotypic clusters of closely related isolates, roughly equivalent to clonal complexes. spa typing and DLST provided considerably less phylogenetic information. The resolution of spa typing was similar to that of AFLP and inferior to that of DLST. AFLP proved to be the most universal method, combining a phylogeny-building capacity similar to that of MLST with a much higher resolution. However, it had a lower reproducibility than sequencing-based MLST, DLST, and spa typing. We found two cases of methicillin-resistant S. aureus colonization, both of which were most likely associated with employment at a health service. Of 21 genotypic clusters detected, 2 were most prevalent: cluster 45 and cluster 30 each colonized 24% of the carrier population. The number of bacteria found in nasal samples varied significantly among the clusters, but the most prevalent clusters were not particularly numerous in the nasal samples. We did not find much evidence that genotypic clusters were associated with different carrier characteristics, such as age, sex, medical conditions, or antibiotic use. This may provide empirical support for the idea that genetic clusters in bacteria are maintained in the absence of adaptation to different niches. Alternatively, carrier characteristics other than those evaluated here or factors other than human hosts may exert selective pressure maintaining genotypic clusters.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. Phone: 41216925612. Fax: 41216925605. E-mail: olga.sakwinska{at}unil.ch

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 31 October 2008.

{dagger} Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://aem.asm.org/.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2009, p. 175-183, Vol. 75, No. 1
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01860-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Pourcel, C., Hormigos, K., Onteniente, L., Sakwinska, O., Deurenberg, R. H., Vergnaud, G. (2009). Improved Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Assay for Staphylococcus aureus Genotyping, Providing a Highly Informative Technique Together with Strong Phylogenetic Value. J. Clin. Microbiol. 47: 3121-3128 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ruimy, R., Armand-Lefevre, L., Barbier, F., Ruppe, E., Cocojaru, R., Mesli, Y., Maiga, A., Benkalfat, M., Benchouk, S., Hassaine, H., Dufourcq, J.-B., Nareth, C., Sarthou, J.-L., Andremont, A., Feil, E. J. (2009). Comparisons between Geographically Diverse Samples of Carried Staphylococcus aureus. J. Bacteriol. 191: 5577-5583 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»