Genome analysis of Staphylococcus aureus ST291, a double locus variant of ST398, reveals a distinct genetic lineage

Staphylococcus aureus ST291 has been reported as a homologue recombinant double locus variant of the livestock associated S. aureus ST398. However, whole genome sequencing show that ST291 is a unique genetic lineage with highly variable content within its accessory genome compared to both human and livestock associated genome sequenced CC398s.