A Study on Coexistence of Panton Valentine Leukocidin Gene from Hospital Acquired Methicillin Resistance Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus silently stays as our natural flora, and yet sometimes threatens our life as a tenacious pathogen. Its multidrug resistance phenotype makes it one of the most intractable pathogenic bacteria. In 1961 the first MRSA was found among S. aureus clinical isolates. Then MRSA prevailed throughout the world as a multi-resistant hospital pathogen. Two groups of MRSA bacteria have already been identified: CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA, which is worldwide MRSA isolates and the isolates had multiple antibiotic resistances. Presently MRSA-PVL positive isolates are increasingly reported in healthcare systems. The present study was conducted to detection of Panton valentine leukocidin gene in methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus isolated from both inpatients and outpatiants at saveetha medical college, thandalam, Chennai. PVL is more commonly found in CA-MRSA but the result of the present study indicates that nowadays it found even in HA-MRSA. The isolates were screened for methicillin resistance phenotypically by cefoxitin, cloxacillin disc diffusion assay and oxacillin agar medium method. cefoxitin disc diffusion assay has more sensitivity and specificity compared to cloxacillin disc diffusion assay and oxacillin agar medium method. MRSA isolates which showed resistance to ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin were screened by PCR for the presence of PVL gene and it was observed that 6 isolates carried PVL gene out of 10 MRSA. Rapid and informative molecular typing is essential for early identification of PVL positive MRSA strains to prevent spreading of these strains in hospitals. In the future, screening for the PVL as a virulence factor in S. aureus may become a routine laboratory procedure.