Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus strains that produce Panton-Valentine leukocidin are known to cause community infections. We describe an outbreak of skin abscesses caused by Panton-Valentine leukocidin–producing methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (clonal complex 121) in a professional rugby team in France during July 2010–February 2011. Eight team members were carriers; 7 had skin abscesses.
Highlights
Outbreak of Staphylococcus aureus InfectionTimeline of infection and screening for PantonValentine leukocidin (PVL)-positive Staphylococcus aureus case-patients and carriers
Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of community and healthcare-associated infections, notably skin and soft-tissue infections [1]
The first round of screening showed that 35 (68.6%) of the 51 team members were colonized with methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), and 2 harbored PantonValentine leukocidin (PVL)-encoding genes (Figure)
Summary
Timeline of infection and screening for PVL-positive Staphylococcus aureus case-patients and carriers. MSSA, methicillinsusceptible S. aureus; PVL, Panton-Valentin leukocidin; +, positive. Despite these measures, 3 new skin abscesses developed in October 2010 on the chest and nape of patient 1 (Figure; isolates not available). On February 2, 2011, we conducted a second round of S. aureus carriage screening and a 10-day course of S. aureus decontamination for 8 players, focusing on previous PVL-positive MSSA carriers and those with abscesses. The screening showed that patients 1 and 7 carried PVL-positive MSSA. One player who never had an abscess carried a different PVL-positive MSSA strain in his throat (agr, sequence type 152). Characteristics of rugby team members involved in outbreak of Panton-Valentine leukocidin–associated methicillin-susceptible.
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