title: Cousins, siblings, or copies: the genomics of recurrent Staphylococcus aureus infections in chronic rhinosinusitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Staphylococcus aureus infection is known to play a role in recalcitrant chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). However, it is unknown if recurrent S. aureus infections are caused by the same strain or are due to independent acquisitions of different strains.
  
  
  METHODS
  Samples were collected from patients with CRS from July 2011 to August 2012. S. aureus was isolated from mucosal swabs and tissue specimens from patients who underwent surgery during the study period, or from swabs of areas of purulence taken in the postoperative period under endoscopic guidance. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was used to characterize S. aureus isolates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-four patients were included in the study; 79% showed persistence of the same S. aureus strain in their paranasal sinuses (p = 0.001; H1 ≠ 50%). Furthermore, a significantly high frequency of patients with known biofilm status were positive for S. aureus biofilm (p = 0.002; H1 ≠ 50%). When patients were stratified according to disease evolution postsurgery, certain strains appeared to be more commonly associated with symptom persistence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The same S. aureus strain appears to persist in the paranasal sinuses of CRS patients despite multiple courses of culture-directed antibiotics. This suggests that conventional antimicrobial therapies in patients with CRS may not eliminate the organism. This may be partly explained by the formation of biofilms in the paranasal sinus region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery-Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drilling
authors.forename: Geoffrey W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Coombs
authors.forename: Hui-leen
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Julie C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boase
authors.forename: Alkis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Psaltis
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Speck
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vreugde
authors.forename: Peter-John
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Wormald
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D002908:Chronic Disease; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010256:Paranasal Sinuses / Q000382:microbiology*; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D035781:Siblings; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D013045:Species Specificity; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Staphylococcus aureus; biofilms; chronic rhinosinusitis; intracellular; persistent infection; pulsed-field gel electrophoresis