ST612 MRSA in Western Australia

A project to determine the origin of sequence type 612 Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Western Australia. This investigation was sparked following a positive MRSA blood culture in an elderly patient. The MRSA was type 612, a relatively uncommon sequence type globally. Given the aggressive nature of ST612 infections in South Africa and their association with horses in Australia, we assembled ST612 MRSA isolates from South African patients, Western Australian hospital and community pathology submissions and Australian horses to determine the origins and potential reservoirs, transmission routes and public health risk of ST612 in Western Australia.