Genomic epidemiology and phenotypic characterization of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from atopic dermatitis patients in South China.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a multifactorial, chronic relapsing disease. Staphylococcus aureus is the key microbial factor in AD, linked to disease activity. However, there is limited knowledge of genomic prevalence characteristics and phenotypic features of S. aureus in AD patients in China. We investigated 108 S. aureus of AD in China and globally publicly available genome sequences of 579 S. aureus of AD. Sequence type (ST) 7, ST15 and ST188 were the major lineages in China. Genes esaC, esxB, and sea were only detected in ST7, potentially contributing to its prevalence in AD. ST188 exhibited high virulence and adhesion, possibly due to the cna gene. Phylogenetic and population structure analysis revealed that 579 strains of global AD were classified into 15 sequence clusters (SCs), with SC5, SC2, and SC7 dominating. S. aureus of Chinese AD patients was mainly distributed in SC2, SC7, and SC12. Comparative genomic highlighted genes linked to AD, including enterotoxins (seh, selk, selq, entH), adhesion genes (fnbA, fnbB, sdrD, map, fib, narH). From China and global perspectives, we analyzed S. aureus's genomic epidemic traits, phylogeny, and population structure in AD skin. These findings contribute to understanding S. aureus-host interactions and genomic diversity in AD.