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Oral Biofilm Sampling for Microbiome Analysis in Healthy Children
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Oral Biofilm Sampling for Microbiome Analysis in Healthy Children

Published on: December 31, 2017

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Oropharyngeal and nasal Staphylococcus aureus carriage by healthy children

Susanna Esposito1, Leonardo Terranova2, Alberto Zampiero3

  • 1Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Pediatric Highly Intensive Care Unit, Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via Commenda 9, 20122, Milano, Italy. susanna.esposito@unimi.it.

BMC Infectious Diseases
|January 1, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Oropharyngeal Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) carriage is common in healthy children, even without nasal colonization. Adding throat screening to nasal screening is crucial for accurately monitoring S. aureus circulation in communities.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric infectious diseases
  • Microbiology
  • Public health surveillance

Background:

  • Healthy children are key reservoirs for respiratory pathogens.
  • Understanding Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) circulation is vital for community health.
  • Screening strategies in early life need evaluation for accurate pathogen estimates.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess oropharyngeal and nasal S. aureus carriage in healthy children and adolescents (aged 6-17).
  • To determine the prevalence and patterns of S. aureus colonization in different anatomical sites.
  • To inform optimal screening methods for S. aureus in pediatric populations.

Main Methods:

  • Collected oropharyngeal and nasal samples from 497 healthy students (aged 6-17) in Milan, Italy.
  • Utilized ESwab kits for sample collection and the RIDA®GENE MRSA system for S. aureus identification.
  • Analyzed carriage rates, age-related trends, and agreement between nasal and oropharyngeal sites.

Main Results:

  • S. aureus carriage identified in 53.1% of subjects (25.9% oropharyngeal, 39.2% nasal, 12.1% both).
  • Oropharyngeal carriage increased with age, while nasal carriage decreased; low agreement between sites.
  • Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was rare (0.6%), found only in nasal samples. No significant differences in risk factors were observed between carriers and non-carriers.

Conclusions:

  • Oropharyngeal carriage of S. aureus, predominantly methicillin-sensitive strains, is frequent in healthy children.
  • A significant proportion of children carry S. aureus in the oropharynx without concurrent nasal colonization.
  • Integrating oropharyngeal screening with nasal screening is recommended for comprehensive S. aureus surveillance in the community.
Abstract

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