Comparative Genomic and Pan-Genomic Characterization of From Different Sources Unveils the Molecular Basis and Potential Biomarkers of Pathogenic Strains.

Coagulase-negative (CoNS) is the most common pathogen causing traumatic endophthalmitis. Among which, is the most common species that colonizes human skin, eye surfaces, and nasal cavity. It is also the main cause of nosocomial infection, specially foreign body-related bloodstream infections (FBR-BSIs). Although some studies have reported the genome characteristics of , the genome of ocular trauma-sourced strain and a comprehensive understanding of its pathogenicity are still lacking. Our study sequenced, analyzed, and reported the whole genomes of 11 ocular trauma-sourced samples of that caused traumatic endophthalmitis. By integrating publicly available genomes, we obtained a total of 187 samples from healthy and diseased eyes, skin, respiratory tract, and blood. Combined with pan-genome, phylogenetic, and comparative genomic analyses, our study showed that , regardless of niche source, exhibits two founder lineages with different pathogenicity. Moreover, we identified several potential biomarkers associated with the virulence of , including , , , , , and . and have high homology with and in , showing that the genomes of and may have communicated during evolution. , , , and are related to biofilm formation. Compared to from blood sources, ocular-sourced strains causing intraocular infection had no direct relationship with biofilm formation. In conclusion, this study provided additional data resources for studies on and improved our understanding of the evolution and pathogenicity among strains of different sources.