Staphylococcus epidermidis strains with capability to impair wound closure

As one of the most abundant skin-resident bacteria, some strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis are known to be able to form biofilms and hinder the healing process. In the presnet study, we aimed to characterize S. epidermidis originated from chronic VLUs and evaluate their virulence potential and impact on wound healing. By employing shotgun metagenomic sequencing we showed that genetic signatures of antimicrobial resistance, biofilm formation, and adhesion capability in VLU isolate strongly correlate with in vitro bacterial traits assessed in antimicrobial susceptibility test and biofilm/extracellular matrix binding assays.