Frequency of pvl gene in methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates collected from Northwest Iran

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus infections, particularly infections caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains, are emerging as a major public health problem. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) by phenotypic and genotypic methods in clinical specimens and detection of the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) gene in the MRSA strains. In an 11-month study, 710 clinical specimens were collected from patients attending to several teaching hospitals of Urmia city, Northwest Iran. The isolates were examined by conventional culture method for detecting S. aureus strains and further confirmation with standard biochemical tests, including catalase, coagulase and DNase. MRSA isolates phenotypically were screened by disk diffusion method. Then DNA was extracted from our MRSA isolates and mecA gene amplified by PCR. Finally, pvl genes were identified among MRSA isolates which were positive for mecA gene. Among test isolates, 114 isolates (16%) were confirmed as S. aureus, from which 48 (42.1%) were recorded as MRSA. pvl gene was detected in 13 (27%) MRSA isolates. Our study showed that the prevalence of PVL-positive MRSA isolates, justify further detailed inspection to prevent possible future endemics in the studied hospitals and likewise other hospitals in the region.