# The molecular epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus in households in aSouthwest Native American community with a high burden of disease

> **NIH NIH R21** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $288,480

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of bacterial infections in the United States (US), including skin and
soft tissue infections and invasive infections (e.g., sepsis, pneumonia and necrotizing fasciitis). Carriage of S.
aureus is an established risk factor for infection. Despite observed carriage prevalence similar to that in the
general United States population, Indigenous populations experience a disproportionate burden of S. aureus
disease, largely due to disparities in the social determinants of health. Decolonization can be achieved using a
variety of regimens, each of which has requirements that could be challenging in under-resourced settings. In
addition, people are often re-colonized after one-time decolonization and recurrent infections are common.
Existing strategies have not been sufficient to control disease and a better understanding of the epidemiology
of S. aureus carriage is needed so that effective and feasible approaches to decolonization can be developed.
This proposal builds on a long-standing partnership between the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health,
the White Mountain Apache Tribe and the Indian Health Service to produce infectious disease and behavior
change interventions that have been scaled across Indigenous populations and the world. We are currently
evaluating a community-informed and novel approach to achieve long-term carriage suppression using a
combined education and sustained biomedical intervention in the W hite Mountain Apache community in work
funded through the Native American Research Centers for Health Program. In this proposal, we will expand
this work to answer key outstanding questions about S. aureus epidemiology. Within the context of the trial, we
will: 1) evaluate S. aureus genomic diversity within households at the baseline visit by characterizing stored
samples collected from individuals, indoor pets, and surfaces within households; 2) evaluate S. aureus
transmission dynamics and reservoirs of carriage within households by recruiting and following a subset of
households in the trial for four months and testing samples collected from individuals, indoor pets, and
surfaces at each visit; and 3) assess reacquisition of S. aureus among individuals receiving a carriage
suppression regimen in the trial by characterizing stored samples from each visit. This work will generate
critical preliminary data that will inform the design and evaluation of decolonization interventions to be
implemented in similarly under-resourced and burdened communities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10951882
- **Project number:** 1R21AI185902-01
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Laura Hammitt
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $288,480
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-05-23 → 2026-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10951882

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10951882, The molecular epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus in households in aSouthwest Native American community with a high burden of disease (1R21AI185902-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10951882. Licensed CC0.

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