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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

Short communication: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in children and young adults infected

Ashok Srinivasan1, Steven Seifried, Liang Zhu

  • 1Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA. ashok.srinivasan@stjude.org

AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses
|December 17, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)-positive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are more common in children and young adults with HIV, leading to more skin and soft tissue infections but not increased overall morbidity.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • HIV/AIDS Research
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • The epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), especially Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)-positive strains, is poorly understood in pediatric and young adult populations with HIV.
  • It remains unclear if PVL-positive MRSA strains contribute to greater illness severity in this demographic compared to PVL-negative strains.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To retrospectively investigate the epidemiology of PVL-positive and PVL-negative MRSA infections in children and young adults living with HIV from 2000 to 2007.
  • To determine if PVL-positive MRSA strains are associated with increased morbidity in this population.

Main Methods:

  • Molecular typing using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect PVL genes.
  • Staphylococcus Cassette Chromosome (SCC) mec and spa typing were performed on PVL-positive isolates.
  • Retrospective analysis of MRSA infections in HIV-infected children and young adults.

Main Results:

  • A significant increase in MRSA infections among HIV patients was observed between 2000 and 2007 (p=0.0015).
  • The majority of MRSA isolates (87%) were associated with skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI).
  • PVL-positive MRSA strains (52%) were linked to more SSTIs (p=0.043) but did not correlate with higher HIV viral load, lower CD4 counts, or increased complications.

Conclusions:

  • PVL-positive MRSA infections are increasingly prevalent in children and young adults with HIV.
  • While PVL-positive MRSA is associated with a higher incidence of skin and soft tissue infections, it does not appear to cause greater overall morbidity or complications in this vulnerable population.

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