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Subcutaneous Infection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)
12:18

Subcutaneous Infection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)

Published on: February 9, 2011

Clinical and molecular characteristics of staphylococcal skin abscesses in children

Howard Faden1, Rebecca Rose, Alan Lesse

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA. hfaden@upa.chob.edu

The Journal of Pediatrics
|November 24, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Methicillin-resistant and susceptible Staphylococcus aureus caused skin abscesses with similar severity in children. Genetic similarities in the bacteria, including USA300 type and Panton-Valentine leukocidin genes, may explain this clinical observation.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of skin abscesses in children.
  • Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) infections can present with varying clinical severity.
  • Understanding the factors contributing to disease severity is crucial for effective treatment and public health management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the clinical severity of skin abscesses caused by MRSA and MSSA in pediatric patients.
  • To investigate the genotypic characteristics of S. aureus isolates from pediatric skin abscesses.
  • To explore the relationship between bacterial genetic architecture and observed disease severity.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 49 pediatric patients with skin abscesses.
  • Clinical data collection on disease severity.
  • Molecular typing of S. aureus isolates, including pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) for USA300 identification and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) for sequence type 8 determination.
  • Detection of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) genes.

Main Results:

  • Forty-nine children with skin abscesses were included (36 MRSA, 13 MSSA).
  • No significant difference in disease severity was observed between MRSA and MSSA infections.
  • All S. aureus isolates belonged to pulse field type USA300 and multilocus sequence type 8, and possessed PVL genes.

Conclusions:

  • Despite differences in antibiotic susceptibility, MRSA and MSSA strains causing skin abscesses in children share significant genetic similarities.
  • The presence of USA300, ST8, and PVL genes in both MRSA and MSSA isolates may contribute to similar disease severity.
  • Further research into microbial genetic factors is warranted to fully understand the pathogenesis of S. aureus skin infections.

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