MRSA <i>spa</i> type t899 from food animals in the UK

We report on the detection of a strain of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria with zoonotic potential identified in the UK for the first time. Livestock-associated meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA), clonal complex (CC) 398 is predominantly asymptomatic in livestock, with infrequent reports of opportunistic infections in farm workers. LA-MRSA CC398, spa type t899, was detected from UK animals, harbouring prophage φSa3-immune evasion cluster (IEC) genes, sak, scn and chp, markers for human adaptation, which have been absent from previously reported UK CC398 animal strains