Whole Genome Sequencing of Danish Staphylococcus argenteus Reveals a Genetically Diverse Collection with Clear Separation from Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

<i>Staphylococcus argenteus</i> (<i>S. argenteus</i>) is a newly identified <i>Staphylococcus</i> species that has been misidentified as <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (<i>S. aureus</i>) and is clinically relevant. We identified 25 <i>S. argenteus</i> genomes in our collection of whole genome sequenced <i>S. aureus</i>. These genomes were compared to publicly available genomes and a phylogeny revealed seven clusters corresponding to seven clonal complexes. The genome of <i>S. argenteus</i> was found to be different from the genome of <i>S. aureus</i> and a core genome analysis showed that ~33% of the total gene pool was shared between the two species, at 90% homology level. An assessment of mobile elements shows flow of SCC<i>mec</i> cassettes, plasmids, phages, and pathogenicity islands, between <i>S. argenteus</i> and <i>S. aureus</i>. This dataset emphasizes that <i>S. argenteus</i> and <i>S. aureus</i> are two separate species that share genetic material.