Prevalence of Panton-Valentine leukocidin-positive methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus infections in a Saudi Arabian hospital

SummaryPanton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) is a two-component toxin associated with the toxicity and virulence of Staphylococcus aureus. The presence of PVL is well documented in community-acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA) and is observed in methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) with variable prevalence. We assessed the prevalence of PVL in a sample of 93 MSSA patients in a healthcare facility in Eastern Saudi Arabia using real-time PCR for lukSF-PV genes. The presence or absence of PVL was correlated with age, gender, hospitalization status, infection site and antibiotic resistance. PVL was detected in 28 (30%) patient samples. PVL was associated with a greater likelihood of resistance to trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole (a resistance of 39.2% of PVL-positive isolates compared to 6.1% of PVL-negative isolates) (p < 0.0007). These results suggest a significant prevalence of PVL expression in MSSA strains in the study population and call for monitoring of and surveillance programs for PVL status and the selection of appropriate antibiotic treatments.