Team:XJTLU-CHINA/Description
Description
What’s Our Focus?
----Intestinal S.aureus Colonization
Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen that contributes to a variety of lethal diseases, causing a large burden of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Due to its great infectivity and the abuse of antibiotics, many strains have developed resistance to an array of antibiotics, in particular, methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA), which already becomes an acute clinical problem.
Despite the well-established risk factor of its colonization in human nose, the gastrointestinal colonization by Staphylococcus aureus is still ill-defined. The average reported detection rate of intestinal carriage is 20% for normal strains and 9% for MRSA. The high risk population is suggested to be infants, hospitalized patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), patients with a history of MRSA colonization or infection, and those with poor immune system status.
Apart from severe diarrhea, fever and dehydration, it is suggested recently that transient or persistent intestinal S. aureus colonization may cause Pseudomembranous colitis, induce specific systemic immune resonses and even alter the overall structure of the human colonic microbiota and the microbial metabolic profiles. Although it’s not been thoroughly studied yet, we believe that the potential clinical impacts cannot be underestimated.
What’s Our Aim and Why?
Based on these concerns:- The lack of clinical experience when dealing with this rare symptom;
- The difficulties to prevent and fully eliminate intestinal S. aureus colonization;
- Abuse of antibiotics and its side effects.
