Prevalence of Staphylococcus succinus and Staphylococcus equorum in the Anterior Nares of Volunteers from the Loja Community of Ecuador

Abstract

Staphylococcus equorum and Staphylococcus succinus are bacterial species commonly associated with livestock including equine and avian species, also certain food products. Human infection as a result of these species is rarely reported and there are currently no reports citing these species as components of the normal human flora. During the summer of 2011, nasal swabs were taken from volunteers from hospitals and communities in Ecuador. This data set is composed of samples from volunteers of three Loja communities. Bacteria isolated from these samples were initially characterized using cultural methods. Isolates that were mannitol fermenters and oxacillin sensitive were further characterized using multiplex PCR and XapI restriction fragment length polymorphisms of the dnaJ gene. Approximately 8% of samples analyzed thus far contain either S. succinus or S. equorum. These preliminary data suggest that these species can at least be transient members of the human nasal flora and can possibly be established as a more stable component.