The evolving landscape of Staphylococcus aureus immune evasion: a data-driven atlas over two decades

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) has emerged as a significant global public health threat, owing to its complex immune evasion strategies. Despite growing research output in this field, a comprehensive, data-driven bibliometric analysis delineating its global landscape, research hotspots, and translational gaps remains lacking.

Publications from 2006 to 2025 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) and Scopus databases, which formed the core dataset for bibliometric analysis. Clinical trial data were independently supplemented from PubMed to assess translational progress. Multidimensional bibliometric analyses and visualization were performed using R-bibliometrix, VOSviewer and CiteSpace.

A total of 1,374 eligible publications were included, with an average annual growth rate of 15.71%, indicating a rapidly expanding field. The research landscape exhibits a hierarchical, stepwise distribution dominated by the United States, with active contributions from multiple countries. Utrecht University and the University of California system were the most prolific institutions. Frontiers-series journals serve as the major publication outlets. Knowledge structure analysis indicates a paradigm shift from fundamental immune mechanisms toward antibiotic resistance, biofilm biology, and immunometabolic regulation. Integration of PubMed clinical data revealed a critical translational gap, as despite advances in mechanistic research, most candidate vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapies failed to meet primary clinical endpoints.

Research on S. aureus immune evasion is transitioning from foundational mechanistic studies toward multi-omics integration and clinical translation. Future efforts should transcend single-target strategies, focusing on novel therapeutic approaches grounded in immunometabolic modulation and precision treatment regimens.