Prevalence of Panton-Valentine leucocidin (pvl) and exfoliative toxin A (eta) gene within methicillin resistant and susceptible Staphylococcus aureus in an urban tertiary hospital: A molecular epidemiology pilot study

Abstract

Background Staphylococcus aureus is well known to cause a multitude of clinical manifestations, from mild to severe bloodstream infections that could lead to death. Infections are common, either in community-acquired or hospital-acquired settings, and treatment remains a challenge due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The pathogenesis of S. aureus is mediated by several cell-surface and secreted virulence factors. The virulence factors discussed in this study are Panton-Valentine leucocidin (pvl) and exfoliative toxin A (eta). Identifying both pvl and eta gene may help in studying bacterial pathogenesis and biology thus creating possible therapeutic pathway or intervention. Our pilot study aimed to observe pvl and eta as virulence gene prevalence in a North Sumatera tertiary referral health center. Methods Our study was a descriptive-analytical observational study with a cross-sectional design in which we collected isolates over a single time period. The frequency of genes is reported as a percentage comparison between MRSA and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA). Qualitative gene prevalence analysis was carried out using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results Our results showed that from 38 MRSA sample isolates, six samples were found to be pvl-negative, or 15.7% of the total samples. From 40 MSSA sample isolates, one sample was found to be pvl-negative MSSA, or 0.025%. Regarding eta, from 38 MRSA sample isolates, 18.4% of the total sample did not have eta, while from 40 MSSA sample isolates, all samples were found to be positive for eta. We found that both pvl and eta were significantly more likely to be expressed in the MSSA strain. Conclusions Our study shows that pvl and eta are more likely expressed in MSSA strains than in MRSA strains in Indonesia.