Molecular epidemiology of community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus in families with and without cystic fibrosis patients

The molecular epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus nasal commensal strains and community-acquired infecting strains was assessed by comparison of prevalence, persistence, transmission rate, and clonal distribution of S. aureus in families with and without cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Isolates were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, CF patients without antibiotic treatment had a significantly higher nasal prevalence (66%) of S. aureus than did treated patients (29%; P < .001) or healthy controls (32%; P < .001), suggesting that persons with CF have a higher susceptibility to this organism. Strain transmission was frequent within both CF (55%) and non-CF (62%) families. After 3 and 19 months, 57% and 21%, respectively, of all persons still harbored the same S. aureus strain. Most of the isolates (78%) belonged to 8 of 38 genome types common in CF patients and in healthy persons. The predominant occurrence of a limited number of S. aureus clones within the community suggests evolutionary mechanisms for the selection of certain strains without an obvious association with disease.