Antimicrobial Resistance in Staphylococcus Species
Summary
Staphylococcus species, notably Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci, are leading causes of healthcare-associated and community-acquired infections. The emergence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-intermediate and ‑resistant strains has undermined the effectiveness of frontline β-lactams and glycopeptides. Resistance arises through acquisition of mobile genetic elements encoding altered penicillin-binding proteins, ribosomal methyltransferases and enzymatic inactivation of antibiotics. Coagulase-negative staphylococci, once regarded as benign skin commensals, now contribute to device-related infections owing to multidrug resistance and biofilm formation. Global surveillance has revealed the spread of livestock-associated and community-associated clones, with environmental and food-chain reservoirs facilitating transmission. Advances in high-resolution genomics have delineated the evolution of resistance determinants and highlighted the dynamic flux of staphylococcal populations across human, animal and environmental niches. Contemporary strategies focus on novel targets within cell-wall biosynthesis, inhibition of resistance enzymes and combination therapies to suppress the emergence of resistant variants. The societal impact spans clinical care, food safety and infection control, underscoring the need for integrated stewardship and innovative therapeutics.
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Antimicrobial Resistance in Staphylococcus Species publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in antimicrobial resistance in staphylococcus species across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA): A strain of S. aureus carrying the mecA gene, rendering it resistant to methicillin and other β-lactam antibiotics.
6-Phosphoglucosamine synthetase (GlmS): An enzyme catalysing the first committed step in bacterial cell-wall peptidoglycan biosynthesis, representing a novel antibiotic target.
Oxazolidinones: A class of synthetic antibiotics, including linezolid and tedizolid, that inhibit protein synthesis by binding the 50S ribosomal subunit.
Cfr methyltransferase: A ribosomal RNA–modifying enzyme that methylates the 23S rRNA, conferring cross-resistance to multiple antibiotic classes (PhLOPSA phenotype).
Small colony variants (SCVs): Slow-growing bacterial subpopulations with altered metabolism and increased capacity for intracellular persistence and antibiotic tolerance.
References
- An Optimized Marinopyrrole A Derivative Targets 6‑Phosphoglucosamine Synthetase to Inhibit Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. ACS Central Science (2024).
- Differences in oxazolidinone resistance mechanisms and small colony variants emergence of Staphylococcus aureus induced in an in vitro resistance development model. Emerging Microbes & Infections (2024).
- Angucyclinones rescue PhLOPSA antibiotic activity by inhibiting Cfr-dependent antibiotic resistance. mBio (2023).
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