Evolutionary Insight into Global Multi-drug resistance S. aureus Strains isolated from blood: A 16S rRNA-Based Comparative Study of Resistance-Linked Divergence

Background: The global burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is rising, and S.aureus is a key pathogen implicated. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), an opportunistic pathogen, is a serious human and livestock pathogen responsible for life-threatening infectious diseases. Understanding the evolutionary dynamics of resistance-related genes in S. aureus across regions can support better surveillance and intervention strategies that could help mitigate the risk of new strains emerging, reduce morbidity and mortality. Objective: This study aims to investigate the evolutionary relationships and phylogeographic patterns of multidrug-resistant S. aureus strains using 16S rRNA gene sequences isolated from blood of human, other vertebrates and abiotic habitat (river) in different countries of the globe. Materials and Methods: The steps involved in conducting a phylogenetic analysis of the 16S RNA gene include Sequence Data Retrieval, Sequence Alignment, Tree construction, and subsequent Evolutionary analysis of the resulting phylogenetic tree. Results: Seventy-nine internal transcribed spacer sequence of Staphylococcus aureus strains from blood were retrieved from publicly available database NCBI. The Sequences were selected based on the representation in different parts of the world majorly from human blood. Phylo-evolutionary diversity tree between the S.aueus strains show some levels of divergence and similarities as shown from the bootstrap values and generational distance. The S.aureus strains isolated from clinical samples in Nigeria maintained a genetic integrity of the root ancestor of S.aureus spp. Conclusion: There is a trend of diversity in the strains of S.aureus genetic sequence overtime which may result in enhanced or reduced pathogenicity and AMR