Within-Host Evolution of Staphylococcus aureus during Asymptomatic Carriage

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0061319
• Publication Date: 2013-05-02T06:59:31Z
• Authors: Tanya Golubchik; Elizabeth M. Batty; Ruth R. Miller; Helen Farr; Bernadette C. Young; Hanna Larner-Sven...; Rowena Fung; Heather Godwin; Kyle Knox; Antonina Votintseva; Richard G. Everitt; Teresa Street; Madeleine Cule; Camilla L. C. Ip; Xavier Didelot; Timothy E. A. Peto; Rosalind M. Harding; Daniel J. Wilson; Derrick W. Crook; Rory Bowden
• Keywords: Carriage

Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of healthcare associated mortality, but like many important bacterial pathogens, it common constituent the normal human body flora. Around third healthy adults are carriers. Recent evidence suggests that evolution S. during nasal carriage may be with progression to invasive disease. However, more detailed understanding within-host under natural conditions required appreciate evolutionary and mechanistic reasons why commensal bacteria such as Therefore we examined in detail dynamics normal, asymptomatic carriage. Sequencing total 131 genomes across 13 singly colonized hosts using Illumina platform, investigated diversity, selection, population transmission short-term aureus.We characterized processes by which raw material for generated: micro-mutation (point mutation small insertions/deletions), macro-mutation (large insertions/deletions) loss or acquisition mobile elements (plasmids bacteriophages). Through an analysis synonymous, non-synonymous intergenic mutations discovered fitness landscape dominated purifying rare examples adaptive change genes encoding surface-anchored proteins enterotoxin. We found dramatic, hundred-fold fluctuations size over time, related cycle colonization clearance. Using newly-developed genetics approach detect recent among hosts, revealed between some our subjects, including husband wife both carrying populations methicillin-resistant (MRSA).This investigation begins paint picture pathogen its prevailing state, These results also have wider significance benchmark future systematic studies