Inferring Staphylococcus aureus host species and cross-species transmission from a genome-based model.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen that can colonize humans and various animals. However, the host-associated determinants of S. aureus remain uncertain, which leads to difficulties in inferring its host species and cross-species transmission. We performed a 3-stage genome-wide association study (discovery, confirming, and validation) to compare genetic variation between pig and human S. aureus, aiming to elucidate the host-specific genetic elements (k-mers).

Results

After 3-stage association analyses, we found a subset of 20 consensus-significant host-associated k-mers, which are significantly overrepresented in a specific host. Surprisingly for host prediction, both the final model with the top 5 k-mers and the simplest model with only the most impor

SUBMITTER: Du W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11834299 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature