BACKGROUND: The morbidity and mortality associated with Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL)-positive Staphylococcus aureus suggest that this toxin is a key marker of disease severity. Nevertheless, the importance of PVL in the pathogenesis of primary bacteraemia caused by S. aureus is uncertain. We have determined the prevalence of PVL-encoding genes among isolates of S. aureus from bacteraemic patients. METHODS: Consecutive bacteraemia isolates of S. aureus (n=244) from patients hospitalized in 25 centres in the UK and Ireland during 2005 were screened for PVL and mecA genes. PVL-positive isolates were characterized by toxin gene profiling, PFGE, spa-typing and MIC determinations for a range of antimicrobials. RESULTS: Four out of 244 isolates (1.6%) were PVL-positive and susceptible to oxacillin [methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA)]. Eighty-eight out of 244 (36%) were oxacillin-resistant (methicillin-resistant S. aureus), but none was PVL-positive. The four patients (two males: 30 and 33 years; two females: 62 and 80 years) had infection foci of: skin and soft tissue, unknown, indwelling line, and surgical site, and were located at one centre in Wales, one in England and two in Ireland. One of four PVL-positive isolates was resistant to penicillin and fusidic acid, the remainder were susceptible to all antibiotics tested. Genotypic analyses showed that the four isolates represented three distinct strains; the two isolates from Ireland were related. CONCLUSIONS: We found that 1.6% of S. aureus (all MSSA) from bacteraemic patients were PVL-positive. This low incidence suggests that PVL-positive S. aureus are of no particular significance as causative agents of S. aureus bacteraemia.
BACKGROUND: The morbidity and mortality associated with Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL)-positive Staphylococcus aureus suggest that this toxin is a key marker of disease severity. Nevertheless, the importance of PVL in the pathogenesis of primary bacteraemia caused by S. aureus is uncertain. We have determined the prevalence of PVL-encoding genes among isolates of S. aureus from bacteraemic patients. METHODS: Consecutive bacteraemia isolates of S. aureus (n=244) from patients hospitalized in 25 centres in the UK and Ireland during 2005 were screened for PVL and mecA genes. PVL-positive isolates were characterized by toxin gene profiling, PFGE, spa-typing and MIC determinations for a range of antimicrobials. RESULTS: Four out of 244 isolates (1.6%) were PVL-positive and susceptible to oxacillin [methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA)]. Eighty-eight out of 244 (36%) were oxacillin-resistant (methicillin-resistant S. aureus), but none was PVL-positive. The four patients (two males: 30 and 33 years; two females: 62 and 80 years) had infection foci of: skin and soft tissue, unknown, indwelling line, and surgical site, and were located at one centre in Wales, one in England and two in Ireland. One of four PVL-positive isolates was resistant to penicillin and fusidic acid, the remainder were susceptible to all antibiotics tested. Genotypic analyses showed that the four isolates represented three distinct strains; the two isolates from Ireland were related. CONCLUSIONS: We found that 1.6% of S. aureus (all MSSA) from bacteraemic patients were PVL-positive. This low incidence suggests that PVL-positive S. aureus are of no particular significance as causative agents of S. aureus bacteraemia.
Authors: Eve Boakes; Angela M Kearns; Cederic Badiou; Gerard Lina; Robert L Hill; Matthew J Ellington Journal: J Clin Microbiol Date: 2012-01-11 Impact factor: 5.948
Authors: M C Wehrhahn; J O Robinson; J C Pearson; F G O'Brien; H L Tan; G W Coombs; E M Pascoe; R Lee; P Salvaris; R Salvaris; D New; R J Murray Journal: Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis Date: 2010-06-12 Impact factor: 3.267
Authors: Sebastian J van Hal; Slade O Jensen; Vikram L Vaska; Björn A Espedido; David L Paterson; Iain B Gosbell Journal: Clin Microbiol Rev Date: 2012-04 Impact factor: 26.132
Authors: Stefan Monecke; Elke Müller; Joseph Buechler; John Rejman; Bettina Stieber; Patrick Eberechi Akpaka; Dirk Bandt; Rob Burris; Geoffrey Coombs; G Aida Hidalgo-Arroyo; Peter Hughes; Angela Kearns; Sonia Molinos Abós; Bruno Pichon; Leila Skakni; Bo Söderquist; Ralf Ehricht Journal: J Clin Microbiol Date: 2012-11-21 Impact factor: 5.948
Authors: Dimitri Ceroni; Rebecca Anderson de la Llana; Tristan Zand; Léopold Lamah; Denis Dominguez; Geraldo De Coulon; Victor Dubois-Ferrière Journal: J Med Case Rep Date: 2012-07-17