Whole-Genome Sequencing of Staphylococcus cohnii Isolated from Healthy Human Skin: Insights into Genomic Features and Antibacterial Potential

Staphylococcus cohnii, a coagulase-negative staphylococcus (CoNS), is a human skin microbiome constituent with significant antibacterial potential due to its production of bacteriocins. This study aims to characterize the genome of S. cohnii 148-XN2B 18.2 isolated from healthy human skin, focusing on its bacteriocin genes, phylogenetic relationships, and potential antimicrobial applications. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was conducted by integration of Illumina and Oxford Nanopore platforms. Bacteriocin genes were identified using BLASTp against reference databases, while phylogenetic analysis was conducted using MAFFT and IQ-TREE. Comparative genomic analysis of bacteriocin clusters was performed using Clinker. The genome of S. cohnii 18.2 consists of a circular chromosome of 2,768,657 bp with a GC content of 32.7%. Functional annotation revealed 5 putative bacteriocin genes. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed a close evolutionary relationship with S. arlettae. Comparative genomics showed high conservation of bacteriocin clusters including Colicin V-like, Enterocin B-like, Pyocin AP41-like and Bacteriocin 28b-like between S. cohnii and S. arlettae.