Epidemiological data on Staphylococcus aureus strains producing synergohymenotropic toxins.
DNA hybridisation of 309 consecutive Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates with oligonucleotide probes specific for genes encoding Panton-Valentine leucocidin (luk-PV) and gamma-haemolysin (hlg) revealed that 99% of randomly selected strains carried the hlg locus whereas only 2% harboured the luk-PV as well as the hlg loci. Only 1% of the strains did not possess either gene. In a clinical prospective study of independent S. aureus strains, 58 Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL)-producing isolates were shown to be responsible for primary skin infections, mainly furuncles (86%). Phage susceptibility patterns and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) profiles of DNA were shown to be polymorphic epidemiological markers of PVL-producing strains. In eight patients with recurrent furuncles, the PVL-producing strains isolated either from furuncles or from the anterior nares were considered to be identical in each based upon phage sensitivity profiles or PFGE patterns.
Prevost
G
G
Institut de Bactériologie, Faculté de Médecine de Strasbourg, France.
Couppie
P
P
Prevost
P
P
Gayet
S
S
Petiau
P
P
Cribier
B
B
Monteil
H
H
Piemont
Y
Y
D000368:Aged; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D001434:Bacteriophage Typing; D001483:Base Sequence; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005260:Female; D005667:Furunculosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007956:Leukocidins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes / Q000737:chemistry; D010641:Phenotype; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D013207:Staphylococcal Skin Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D007956:Leukocidins; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; C037956:gamma-hemolysin, Staphylococcus aureus