Abstract
Background: The aim of the present study was to examine the phenotypic and genotypic relatedness of 17 Staphylococcus aureus subsp. anaerobius isolates recovered from sheep abscesses in Khartoum state, Sudan, during the period 2007-2008. Methodology: This sample was characterised using antibiogram typing, biochemical typing with the commercial PhenePlate system (PhP-CS) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Results: Low levels of resistance were noted to the 11 antimicrobial agents tested. All the isolates corresponded to a single PhP type, and to a single, novel, multilocus sequence type, designated ST1464. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the vast majority of cases of sheep abscess disease in Khartoum state are caused by a single novel clone of S. aureus subsp. anaerobius.