Molecular characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates in Algeria

The epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus has changed radically since 1999, in particular, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), originally restricted to hospital, has emerged as a significant pathogen in the community, and true community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) infections have been reported in patients with no clear risk factors. CA-MRSA strains frequently produce Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL).

The objectives of this study were: (i) to monitor the prevalence of PVL and toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) isolates MRSA; (ii) to identify the staphylococcal cassette chromosome (SCCmec) types of MRSA isolates.

Sixty-four isolates, collected between 2005 and 2007 in Didouche Mourad hospital of Algeria. The isolates were identified by conventional methods. The antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates was performed using the disk diffusion method and automat Vitek2. The presence of gene mecA, the genes encoding SCCmec type, PVL and TSST-1 toxins were investigated by real-time PCR.

All strains were gene mecA positives, 32 (50%) harboured SCCmec IV type, 28 (43.75%) harboured SCCmec V type. 19 (29.68%) have been identified positive for the leukocidin toxin (PVL), they harboured SCCmec type IV. The virulence factor TSST-1 was not present among these isolates.

These results show a high prevalence of PVL-positive H-MRSA in our wards.