Staphylococcus aureus strains that are hypersusceptible to resistance gene transfer from enterococci

We identified naturally occurring Staphylococcus aureus mutants of the restriction modification pathway Saul, including bovine lineage ST151. In a model of vancomycin resistance transfer from Enterococcus faecalis, ST151 isolates are 500 times more susceptible than human S. aureus isolates. The eradication of hyper-recipient strains may reduce the evolution of vancomycin-resistant S. aureus.