title: Spread of Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates carrying Panton-Valentine leukocidin genes during a 3-year period in Greece.
abstract: Three collections of Staphylococcus aureus isolates (n = 1,058) were investigated to assess the spread of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)-producing strains in Greece and their association with skin and soft-tissue infections (SSTIs). The isolates were collected during 2001-2003 from inpatients and outpatients with invasive infections in two distinct geographical areas. Clonal types were identified according to their ClaI-mecA::ClaI-Tn554::pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns, and the presence of the lukS-PV and lukF-PV genes was assessed by PCR. In total, 287 (27%) S. aureus isolates carried the PVL genes: 45% of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and 12% of methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA). All the PVL-positive MRSA isolates belonged to a single clone that was disseminated in the community and hospitals. The PVL-positive MSSA isolates were polyclonal, with 14 of 65 isolates being associated with hospital-acquired infections. The community-acquired isolates were from SSTIs, while the hospital-acquired isolates were associated with surgical wound infections, especially those involving prosthetic devices. Thus, a unique clone of PVL-positive MRSA has spread in both the community and the hospital setting in Greece, and has replaced older clonal types.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Patras, Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chini
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Petinaki
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Foka
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Paratiras
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dimitracopoulos
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Spiliopoulou
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D005098:Exotoxins; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007956:Leukocidins; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D018461:Soft Tissue Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission*; D013207:Staphylococcal Skin Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D005098:Exotoxins; D007956:Leukocidins; C078284:Panton-Valentine leukocidin