Major
Bioinformatics
Anticipated Graduation Year
2024
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
Staphylococcus epidermidis is a prominent and often benign member of the human skin microbiota. While it predominantly colonizes the skin, it can also be found in areas of the human microbiota, such as the urinary or gastrointestinal tract. S. epidermidis is an opportunistic pathogen and is one of the most common sources of infections from medical devices, particularly in immunocompromised patients. S. epidermidis infections can result in boils, endocarditis, wound infections, and other types of inflammation, with progression, assisted through the production of biofilms. These biofilms often confer antibiotic resistance, leading to chronic and persistent infections. Despite the importance of this bacterial member in human health, the epidemiology and transmission of S. epidermidis are overlooked in healthcare settings. As the medical community continues expanding their knowledge of human microbiomes, understanding the critical role of S. epidermidis is needed.
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Adriana Ene, MS, Department of Biology/Bioinformatics Program; Dr. Catherine Putonti, PhD, Department of Biology/Bioinformatics Program; Dr. Swarnali Banerjee, PhD, Department of Math and Statistics
Supported By
Carbon Fellowship
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Exploring the genomic diversity of Staphylococcus epidermidis from different isolation sources
Staphylococcus epidermidis is a prominent and often benign member of the human skin microbiota. While it predominantly colonizes the skin, it can also be found in areas of the human microbiota, such as the urinary or gastrointestinal tract. S. epidermidis is an opportunistic pathogen and is one of the most common sources of infections from medical devices, particularly in immunocompromised patients. S. epidermidis infections can result in boils, endocarditis, wound infections, and other types of inflammation, with progression, assisted through the production of biofilms. These biofilms often confer antibiotic resistance, leading to chronic and persistent infections. Despite the importance of this bacterial member in human health, the epidemiology and transmission of S. epidermidis are overlooked in healthcare settings. As the medical community continues expanding their knowledge of human microbiomes, understanding the critical role of S. epidermidis is needed.