Publication Date
4-14-2022
Document Type
Poster
Department
Science Department, Concordia University, Saint Paul
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Amanda Brosnahan, Dr. Taylor Mach
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal, opportunistic pathogen that can be commonly found in nasal mucosa and is associated with diseases like Toxic Shock Syndrome and Septic Arthritis. Within this study, nasal swabs from the CSP community were taken in order to be isolated for S. aureus to figure out what proportion of the population carries S. aureus in their nasal microbiome. From that point the isolated S. aureus can be characterized for many different traits, one being the presence of the SPA toxin gene. It was found that out of the 142 S. aureus samples that were genetically sequenced the carriage rate of the SPA protein gene is 8% higher in healthcare workers compared to nonhealthcare workers.