Phylogenomic and Functional Insights into Staphylococcus shinii from Blueberry Production Environments: Intra-species Structure, Probiotic Traits, and Antimicrobial Resistance

This study provides the first comprehensive, high-resolution genomic characterization of Staphylococcus shinii from agricultural environments, revealing extensive intra-species diversity, conserved beneficial traits, and variable antimicrobial resistance. By identifying distinct genomovars with differing resistance profiles, our findings underscore the importance of intra-species level resolution for safety assessments and open new avenues for the biotechnological application of S. shinii in food and environmental systems.© 2025 His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2024. Submitted for possible open access publication under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.