{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T15:21:02Z","timestamp":1791300062999,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":57,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,5]],"date-time":"2021-08-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1628121600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Microbiol."],"abstract":"<jats:p><jats:italic>Staphylococcus epidermidis<\/jats:italic> has become an important nosocomial pathogen. Multidrug resistance makes <jats:italic>S. epidermidis<\/jats:italic> infections difficult to treat. The study aims to describe the genomic characteristics of methicillin-resistant <jats:italic>S. epidermidis<\/jats:italic> (MRSE) isolated from clinical sources, to comprehend the genetic basis of antibiotic resistance, virulence, and potential pathogenicity. Sixteen MRSE underwent whole-genome sequencing, and bioinformatics analyses were carried out to ascertain their resistome, virulome, mobilome, clonality, and phylogenomic relationships. In all, 75% of isolates displayed multidrug resistance and were associated with the carriage of multiple resistance genes including <jats:italic>mecA<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>blaZ<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>tet(K)<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>erm(A)<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>erm(B)<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>erm(C)<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>dfrG<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>aac(6\u2032)-aph(2\u2032\u2032)<\/jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>cat(pC221)<\/jats:italic> conferring resistance to \u03b2-lactams, tetracyclines, macrolide\u2013lincosamide\u2013streptogramin B, aminoglycosides, and phenicols, which were located on both plasmids and chromosomes. Their virulence profiles were evidenced by the presence of genes involved in adherence\/biofilm formation (<jats:italic>icaA<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>icaB<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>icaC<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>atl<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>ebh<\/jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>ebp<\/jats:italic>), immune evasion (<jats:italic>adsA<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>capC<\/jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>manA<\/jats:italic>), and antiphagocytosis (<jats:italic>rmlC<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>cdsA<\/jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>A<\/jats:italic>). The community-acquired SCC<jats:italic>mec<\/jats:italic> type IV was the most common SCC<jats:italic>mec<\/jats:italic> type. The CoNS belonged to seven multilocus sequence types (MLSTs) and carried a diversity of mobile genetic elements such as phages, insertion sequences, and plasmids. The bacterial anti-phage defense systems clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats\/CRISPR-associated (CRISPR-Cas) immunity phage system and restriction-modification system (R-M system) and the arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME) involved in immune evasion and transport of virulence genes were also found. The insertion sequence, IS256, linked with virulence, was found in 56.3% of isolates. Generally, the isolates clustered according to STs, with some similarity but also considerable variability within isolates. Whole-genome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis provide insights into the likely pathogenicity and antibiotic resistance of <jats:italic>S. epidermidis<\/jats:italic>, necessitating surveillance of this emerging pathogen.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2021.656306","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,5]],"date-time":"2021-08-05T05:30:55Z","timestamp":1628141455000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":31,"title":["Genomic Analysis of Antibiotic-Resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis Isolates From Clinical Sources in the Kwazulu-Natal Province, South Africa"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Jonathan","family":"Asante","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bakoena A.","family":"Hetsa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Daniel G.","family":"Amoako","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Akebe L. 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