Abstract
We determined the agr type, multilocus sequence type, protein A gene type (spa typing), toxin gene profile, and antimicrobial drug resistance profile of 469 isolates of Panton-Valentine leukocidin-positive community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates (PVL-positive CA-MRSA). The isolates had been collected from around the world from 1999 through 2005 by the French National Reference Center for Staphylococci. We found that some continent-specific clones described in 2003, such as clone ST8, have now spread all over the world. Likewise, some PVL-positive CA-MRSA have spread to several countries on various continents. New clones have emerged (e.g., ST377) on new genetic backgrounds. PVL-positive CA-MRSA that were usually susceptible to most antistaphylococcal antimicrobial agents have acquired new resistance determinants (e.g., to gentamicin) in certain countries. The major trait shared by all these clones is a short staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec element of type IV or V.
Highlights
We determined the agr type, multilocus sequence type, protein A gene type, toxin gene profile, and antimicrobial drug resistance profile of 469 isolates of Panton-Valentine leukocidin–positive community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates (PVLpositive CA-MRSA)
Some PVL-positive clones, such as ST1 and ST30, can be considered pandemic, as they are detected in America, Europe, and Asia
On a given continent, PVL-positive CA-MRSA have spread from country to country
Summary
We determined the agr type, multilocus sequence type, protein A gene type (spa typing), toxin gene profile, and antimicrobial drug resistance profile of 469 isolates of Panton-Valentine leukocidin–positive community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates (PVLpositive CA-MRSA). In 2003, Vandenesch et al described continent-specific PVL-positive CA-MRSA clones (mainly on an agr background) and characterized them by their sequence type (ST) [4]. One of the most prevalent PVL-positive CA-MRSA clones in the United States (USA300) belongs to ST8 [8]; other US clones include USA400 (ST1), USA1000 (ST59), and USA1100 (ST30) [9]. In the United States, MRSA were isolated from 50% of patients with skin and soft-tissue infections seen in emergency departments of 11 cities (97% of isolates belonged to clone USA300) [13]. Since 1999, the French National Center for Staphylococci has characterized 469 PVL-positive CAMRSA isolates collected throughout the world. We describe the evolution and spread of PVL-positive CAMRSA clones since their initial description
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