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Colonisation with Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes in New Zealand preschool children

Sarah Berry, Susan Morton, Polly Atatoa Carr

  • 1Growing Up in New Zealand, PO Box 18288, Glen Innes, Auckland 1743, New Zealand. cc.grant@auckland.ac.nz.

The New Zealand Medical Journal
|April 2, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Streptococcus pyogenes (S. pyogenes) are common in New Zealand preschoolers. S. aureus colonisation was more frequent than S. pyogenes, with varied prevalence by body site.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Pediatric infectious diseases
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Streptococcus pyogenes (S. pyogenes) are significant human pathogens.
  • Understanding colonization patterns in preschool children is crucial for public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate and describe the colonization patterns of S. aureus and S. pyogenes in preschool-aged children in New Zealand.
  • To compare the prevalence of S. aureus and S. pyogenes colonization across different superficial body sites.

Main Methods:

  • A diverse sample of 139 New Zealand children aged 4 years participated in the study.
  • Anterior nasal, oropharyngeal, and antecubital fossa swabs were collected.
  • Swabs were cultured for S. aureus and S. pyogenes, with antibiotic susceptibility testing for S. aureus.

Main Results:

  • S. aureus colonization (54%) was significantly more prevalent than S. pyogenes colonization (16%) across all sites (P<0.0001).
  • S. aureus was most prevalent in the anterior nares (39%) and oropharynx (32%).
  • S. pyogenes was most prevalent in the oropharynx (16%).

Conclusions:

  • Both S. aureus and S. pyogenes are prevalent colonizers in preschool children in New Zealand.
  • Colonization prevalence differs by pathogen and anatomical site, with S. aureus dominant in the anterior nares and oropharynx, and S. pyogenes in the oropharynx.
Abstract

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