Could a simple swab identify poor health in aged care?

A simple swab from the back of the throat, known as the oropharynx, may offer clues about health challenges faced by aged care residents, recent Australian research suggests. The research, from Flinders University, involved the collection of oropharyngeal swabs from 190 residents of aged care facilities across metropolitan South Australia, its findings suggesting that certain bacteria detected in the back of the throat could indicate greater health vulnerability in older adults.

It was found that one bacterium ordinarily associated with infections, but not in this study’s context — Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) — was notably linked to poorer health outcomes; residents carrying this bacterium being almost 10 times more likely to die within a year compared to non-carriers. In short, while measures of physical robustness, such as grip strength and other physical assessments, have proven successful in identifying vulnerable individuals in later life, this research now suggests a swab from the back of the throat may lend the sector insights, too.

“This discovery suggests the usability of the microbiome as an additional marker of identifying residents who may require extra care or monitoring,” PhD candidate and study lead Sophie Miller from Flinders’ College of Medicine and Public Health said. “Importantly, the presence of S. aureus was found to be a stronger predictor of mortality risk than an individual’s number of comorbidities — health conditions that are commonly used to assess the general health of elderly individuals.”

Miller explained that even after adjusting for factors such as comorbid conditions, medications and other health data, the link between S. aureus and mortality risk remained significantly high. On the potential of this study’s findings, senior author Professor Geraint Rogers, Director of the Microbiome and Host Health program at SAHMRI and Matthew Flinders Fellow at Flinders, said: “It’s fascinating that we see this relationship with S. aureus, even in the absence of any clear evidence of infection.”

Rogers described the study as marking “an important step toward using simple microbial markers to inform healthcare strategies and improve outcomes for aged care residents”, yet also acknowledged that, while the findings are “compelling, more research is needed to confirm these results and explore the long-term implications”. Rogers added: “By studying larger groups of residents, we hope to uncover more ways to improve care and support for older adults.”

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