Outbreak of skin infections in college football team members due to an unusual strain of community-acquired methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus.
We report a skin and soft-tissue infection outbreak among football team members due to a USA300 methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain with genes coding for Panton-Valentine leukocidin and the arginine catabolic mobile element. We postulate that the strain is a community-associated USA300 MRSA strain that lost methicillin resistance but retained important virulence factors.
Fontanilla
Jose-Mario
JM
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA. jmfontanilla@yahoo.com
Kirkland
Kathryn B
KB
Talbot
Elizabeth A
EA
Powell
Kenton E
KE
Schwartzman
Joseph D
JD
Goering
Richard V
RV
Parsonnet
Jeffrey
J
D056352:Athletes; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005098:Exotoxins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D020071:Interspersed Repetitive Sequences; D007956:Leukocidins / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013207:Staphylococcal Skin Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D013334:Students; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics; D055815:Young Adult
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D005098:Exotoxins; D007956:Leukocidins; C078284:Panton-Valentine leukocidin; D037521:Virulence Factors