spa typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from domestic animals and veterinary staff in the UK and Ireland

Abstract

Irrespective of geographical origin, MRSA isolated from equine and small animal hospitals generally clustered into two distinct clonal complexes, CC8 and CC22, respectively. The combined use of spa and PFGE typing allowed better discrimination than each method used individually, and provided useful information on MRSA transmission between animal and human individuals.