Abstract Mouse-adapted Staphylococcus aureus strains have become increasingly relevant in infection research thanks to their ability to better recapitulate clinical infection dynamics in mouse models. However, detailed characterisations required to establish a corresponding reference strain are still lacking. The mouse-adapted CC88 strain JSNZ appears to be an ideal candidate for a reference strain, because CC88 is widespread among laboratory mice and frequently employed in mouse colonisation and infection models.…