The shared microbiota of humans and companion animals as evaluated from Staphylococcus carriage sites

Abstract

BackgroundStaphylococcus aureus and other coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS) colonize skin and mucous membrane sites and can cause skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) in humans and animals. Factors modulating methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) colonization and infection in humans remain unclear, including the role of the greater microbial community and environmental factors such as contact with companion animals. In the context of a parent study evaluating the households of outpatients with community MRSA SSTI, the objectives of this study were 1) to characterize the microbiota that colonizes typical coagulase-positive Staphylococcus spp. carriage sites in humans and their companion pets, 2) to analyze associations between Staphylococcus infection and carriage and the composition and diversity of microbial communities, and 3) to analyze factors that influence sharing of microbiota between pets and humans.ResultsWe enrolled 25 households containing 56 pets and 30 humans. Sampling locations were matched to anatomical sites cultured by the parent study for MRSA and other CPS. Bacterial microbiota were characterized by sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA genes. Household membership was strongly associated with microbial communities, in both humans and pets. Pets were colonized with a greater relative abundance of Proteobacteria, whereas people were colonized with greater relative abundances of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria. We did not detect differences in microbiota associated with MRSA SSTI, or carriage of MRSA, S. aureus or CPS. Humans in households without pets were more similar to each other than humans in pet-owning households, suggesting that companion animals may play a role in microbial transfer. We examined changes in microbiota over a 3-month time period and found that pet staphylococcal carriage sites were more stable than human carriage sites.ConclusionsWe characterized and identified patterns of microbiota sharing and stability between humans and companion animals. While we did not detect associations with MRSA SSTI, or carriage of MRSA, S. aureus or CPS in this small sample size, larger studies are warranted to fully explore how microbial communities may be associated with and contribute to MRSA and/or CPS colonization, infection, and recurrence.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40168-014-0052-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Longitudinal Evaluation of the Skin Microbiome and Association with Microenvironment and Treatment in Canine Atopic Dermatitis

“…By the same token, S. aureus is infrequently isolated from infection and carriage sites of dogs in clinical practice and in epidemiological surveys, and is considered a comparatively infrequent canine pathogen (Beck et al, 2012; Morris et al, 2006; 2010). The dog may act as a potential vector of S. aureus , which raises zoonotic and anthropozoonotic concerns for potential transfer of pathogens, drug resistance, and genetic elements (Misic et al, 2015; Song et al., 2013; Boag et al, 2004; Bramble et al, 2011). …”

“…DNA extractions were performed as previously described (Misic et al., 2015). The V1–V3 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified using a barcoding strategy as described (Fadrosh et al, 2014) and primers 27F (5’-AGAGTTTGATCCTGGCTCAG-3’) and 534R (5’-ATTACCGCGGCTGCTGG-3’).…”

“…The pplacer binary (Matsen et al, 2010) was employed as previously described (Gardner et al, 2013) for species level assessment of Staphylococcus using a Staphylococcus reference database (Conlan et al, 2012). Water and processed blank samples were sequenced and processed in parallel and contaminants were identified and removed as previously reported (Misic et al, 2015). Published best practices were used as guidelines (Bokulich et al, 2012).…”

The feline skin microbiota: The bacteria inhabiting the skin of healthy and allergic cats

“…Suspected contaminants found in the controls were removed by filtering them from the OTU table as previously described [14]. For the purpose of comparing different physiologies of the sites sampled, the chin was considered “sebaceous”; the axilla, dorsal nose, ear canal, groin, interdigital, lumbar, and pre-aural space were considered “haired skin”; the conjunctiva, nostril, and reproductive were considered “mucosal” or “mucocutaneous junctions”; and the oral cavity was considered unique and referred as “oral”.…”

Comparison of Culture-Based Methods for Identification of Colonization with Methicillin-Resistant and Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus in the Context of Cocolonization

“…This trial evaluated the effect of two similar householdwide decolonization protocols using nasal mupirocin ointment and chlorhexidine body wash versus education control on human MRSA colonization. A subset of these households participated in a nested evaluation of home environments and companion animals, i.e., the Pets and Environmental Transmission of Staphylococci (PETS) study (6,9). Two home visits were conducted at a 3-month interval; randomization and treatment occurred between these visits.…”