{
  "abstract": "Staphylococcus aureus clonal complex (CC)398 has emerged as a dominant livestock-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (LA-MRSA) lineage worldwide; however, its evolutionary trajectory and regional diversification remain incompletely understood. We developed a core-genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) scheme with hierarchical clustering and applied it to over 30,000 S. aureus genomes, revealing frequent cross-border transmission of CC398. Subsequent time-calibrated phylogenetic analysis placed the most recent common ancestor at 1942 (95% CI: 1939–1945), with the human-to-livestock host jump around 1969 (95% CI: 1968–1972). Chinese CC398 exhibits a distinct trajectory: unlike the LA-MRSA lineages dominating Europe and North America, Chinese isolates are predominantly human-associated methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (HA-MSSA), forming unique East Asia-specific phylogroups (SAP1, SAP2, and AP1–AP3), with distinct resistance and virulence profiles. The LA lineage remains limited in China, with multinational mixed clusters emerging only after 2019. Analysis of global transmission networks revealed a significant correlation between LA-CC398 spread and international trade in fresh swine products, while no such correlation was observed for the human-associated lineage. Beyond the established lineage markers tet(M) and scn, our analysis identified additional differentially distributed genes, including cadC—a chromosomal cadmium resistance regulator—as a novel HA-lineage-enriched gene whose functional role in host adaptation remains to be determined. This study reveals that CC398 followed fundamentally different evolutionary paths in China versus Western countries, challenging a one-size-fits-all model of its dissemination.\n\nIMPORTANCE: This study illustrates how large-scale microbial genomics can resolve the evolutionary origins and regional diversification of bacterial pathogens. By applying a novel cgMLST scheme to over 30,000 S. aureus genomes, we show that CC398 followed fundamentally different evolutionary paths in China versus Western countries—challenging the prevailing model of uniform global dissemination—and that livestock-associated MRSA expansion is closely linked to international trade in fresh pork products. These findings highlight the need for integrated surveillance across human, animal, and trade interfaces to anticipate the emergence and spread of zoonotic pathogens.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Changshu Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Changshu No.1 People's Hospital, Soochow University, Changshu, Jiangsu, China",
    "Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China",
    "The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Cancer Institute, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China",
    "National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China",
    "Suzhou BenQ Medical Center, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 12,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Guilai Jiang",
      "orcid": "0009-0000-5441-9438"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Changyuan Guo"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Yulin Hua"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Chaoshen Wu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Shengkai Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yuezhuo Wang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Jun Zhao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Linli Ji"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yijie Cheng"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Zhemin Zhou",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9783-0366"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Xuejie Wu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Heng Li",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1449-6003"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2y4g0m2v10b6d.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1128/msystems.00621-26",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13713001/",
  "id": "2y4g0m2v10b6d",
  "issns": [
    "2379-5077"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00621-26",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Research Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2725|Antimicrobial Resistance in Staphylococcus"
    ]
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  "openalex": "W7212245801",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13713001",
  "pmid": "42725741",
  "published": "2026-09-11",
  "publisher": "American Society for Microbiology (ASM)",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2y4g0m2v10b6d.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T12:23:28Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13713001",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00621-26"
    }
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2725|Antimicrobial Resistance in Staphylococcus",
      "subfield": "infectious-disease"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Large-scale genomic analysis places Chinese CC398 as a persistent human-associated MSSA lineage apart from the dominant global LA-MRSA clade",
  "title_text": "Large-scale genomic analysis places Chinese CC398 as a persistent human-associated MSSA lineage apart from the dominant global LA-MRSA clade",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-31T12:23:28Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2y4g0m2v10b6d",
  "venue": "mSystems",
  "versions": []
}