Dynamics and Determinants of Staphylococcus aureusCarriage in Infancy: the Generation R Study

ABSTRACTSerial nasal swabs were collected at the ages of 1.5, 6, and 14 months from 443 infants in the Generation R Study. The objective was to study the dynamics and determinants of Staphylococcus aureusnasal carriage in the first year of life. The prevalence of S. aureuscarriage decreased in the first year of life, from 52.1% at the age of 1.5 months to 12.9% at 14 months. Persistent carriage, defined as continuous carriage of the same S. aureusstrain at the three sampling moments, was rarely detected in early infancy.