Antimicrobial Resistance of Staphylococcus spp. in Animals: A One Health Perspective

A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Antibiotics in Animal Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 April 2026 | Viewed by 542

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Interests: staphylococci; microbiology; antimicrobial resistance; One Health; multiomics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Staphylococci are commensal colonizers of skin and mucosal surfaces in humans and warm-blooded animals and are also considered opportunistic pathogens causing a wide range of infections. S. aureus exhibits high levels of pathogenicity and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), whereas non-aureus staphylococci (NAS) have been overlooked due to their relatively low virulence and AMR., contributing to the dissemination of AMR within the Staphylococcus spp. Given that NAS can serve as reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), comprehensive studies encompassing both SA and NAS are needed to understand ARG transfer among staphylococci.

This Special Issue aims to bring together the latest research on the AMR of staphylococci in animals, focusing on the prevalence and AMR profiles of staphylococcal isolates recovered from animal sectors. Additionally, studies investigating staphylococci isolated from humans and the environment associated with animals are also encouraged to provide a multisectoral perspective. By analyzing large-scale datasets—including (meta)genome, mobilome, and resistome—this issue seeks to uncover not only the mechanism of AMR gene transfer among staphylococci but also the spread of ARGs and antimicrobial-resistant staphylococci across different sectors using the One Health approach.

  • Prevalence and AMR profiles of Staphylococcus spp. in animals.
  • One Health approaches to understand the epidemiology and transmission dynamics of staphylococcal isolates across animal, human, and environmental sectors.
  • Genetic factors and molecular mechanisms associated with AMR in staphylococci.
  • Omics-based studies integrating metadata, such as (meta)genome, mobilome, and resistome.
  • Innovative strategies for controlling the spread of antimicrobial-resistant staphylococci and ARG transfer.

Through this Special Issue, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the factors contributing to the persistence and spread of antimicrobial-resistant staphylococci in animals. By fostering interdisciplinary research, we hope to emphasize the importance of surveillance, monitoring, and preventive strategies to address this growing challenge for One Health.

Dr. Gi Yong Lee
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • staphylococci
  • molecular epidemiology
  • antimicrobial resistance
  • One Health
  • multiomics

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 1411 KB  
Article
Antimicrobial Resistance of Staphylococcus borealis Isolated from Pig Farms: High Prevalence of SCCmec Type V and Emergence of cfr-Positive Isolates
by Ji Hyun Lim, Ji Heon Park, Gi Yong Lee and Soo-Jin Yang
Antibiotics 2025, 14(9), 910; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14090910 - 9 Sep 2025
Viewed by 267
Abstract
Background: The emergence of livestock-associated antimicrobial-resistant staphylococci, particularly non-aureus staphylococci, has become a major public health problem requiring immediate global attention. Methods: In this study, 92 Staphylococcus borealis isolates from 20 different pig farms in Korea were examined to determine the following: [...] Read more.
Background: The emergence of livestock-associated antimicrobial-resistant staphylococci, particularly non-aureus staphylococci, has become a major public health problem requiring immediate global attention. Methods: In this study, 92 Staphylococcus borealis isolates from 20 different pig farms in Korea were examined to determine the following: (1) antimicrobial-resistance (AMR) profiles of the isolates, (2) prevalence of methicillin resistance and staphylococcal cassette chromosome methicillin resistance gene (SCCmec) types, (3) occurrence of chloramphenicol–florfenicol resistance gene (cfr)-mediated oxazolidinone resistance, and (4) genomic characteristics of cfr-positive methicillin-resistant S. borealis (MRSB) via whole-genome sequence (WGS) analysis. Results: The overall rate of S. borealis isolation was 9.1% (92 isolates/1009 swabs), and 34.8% (32/92) of the isolates were MRSB. Surprisingly, all 32 MRSB isolates carried SCCmec V for methicillin resistance, and 31/32 MRSB isolates displayed multidrug-resistance phenotypes. Although 22 cfr-positive S. borealis isolates (20 MRSB and two methicillin-susceptible S. borealis) were identified, most of the isolates were susceptible to linezolid because they carried the 35-bp insertion sequence in the cfr promoter. Moreover, WGS analyses suggested horizontal transmission of SCCmec V and cfr-containing plasmids among different staphylococci species, including Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, and S. borealis. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to describe the AMR characteristics of livestock-associated S. borealis isolates, particularly the high prevalence of SCCmec V and cfr. Collectively, these results suggest that S. borealis is a crucial reservoir of AMR genes on pig farms in Korea. Full article
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