The genotypes and oxacillin resistance of 263 Staphylococcus aureus isolates 
cultured from chicken cloacae (n = 138) and chicken meat (n = 125) was analyzed. 
Fifteen spa types were determined in the studied S. aureus population. Among 5 
staphylococcal protein A gene (spa) types detected in S. aureus from chicken, 
t002, t3478, and t13620 were the most frequent. Staphylococcus aureus isolates 
from meat were assigned to 14 spa types. Among them, the genotypes t002, t056, 
t091, t3478, and t13620 were dominant. Except for 4 chicken S. aureus isolates 
belonging to CC398, the remaining 134 isolates were clustered into multilocus 
sequence clonal complex (CC) 5. Most of meat-derived isolates were assigned to 
CC5, CC7, and CC15, and to the newly described spa-CC12954 complex belonging to 
CC1. Except for t011 (CC398), all other spa types found among chicken isolates 
were also present in isolates from meat. Four S. aureus isolated from chicken 
and one from meat were identified as methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) with 
oxacillin minimum inhibitory concentrations from 16 to 64 μg/mL. All MRSA were 
assigned to spa types belonging to ST398, and included 4 animal spa t011 SCCmecV 
isolates and 1 meat-derived spa t899, SCCmecIV isolate. Borderline 
oxacillin-resistant S. aureus (BORSA) isolates, shown to grow on plates 
containing 2 to 3 μg/mL of oxacillin, were found within S. aureus isolates from 
chicken (3 isolates) and from meat (19 isolates). The spa t091 and t084 
dominated among BORSA from chicken meat, whereas t548 and t002 were found within 
animal BORSA. We report for the first time the presence of MRSA in chicken in 
Poland. We demonstrate that MRSA CC398 could be found in chicken meat indicating 
potential of introduction of animal-associated genotypes into the food chain. We 
also report for the first time the possibility of transmission of BORSA isolates 
from chicken to meat.