title: Staphylococcus aureus and the ecology of the nasal microbiome.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. ; Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA. ; Division of Pathogen Genomics, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA.
authors.forename: Cindy M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Division of Pathogen Genomics, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA. ; Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
authors.forename: Lance B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Price
authors.affiliation: Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA.
authors.forename: Bruce A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Hungate
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
authors.forename: Alison G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Abraham
authors.affiliation: The Danish Twin Registry, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Lisbeth A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.affiliation: The Danish Twin Registry, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark. ; Department of Clinical Genetics and Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Kaare
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.affiliation: Division of Pathogen Genomics, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA. ; Microbiology and Infection Control, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stegger
authors.affiliation: Microbiology and Infection Control, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Skov
authors.affiliation: Division of Pathogen Genomics, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA. ; Microbiology and Infection Control, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark. ; Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Paal Skytt
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Andersen
keywords: Staphylococcus aureus; absolute abundance; competition; human microbiome; interspecies interaction; microbial ecology; microbiome; nares; nasal cavity; nasal microbiome