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Major characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus colonizing Jordanian infants

Asem A Shehabi1, Rozan Abu-Yousef, Eman Badran

  • 1Department of Pathology-Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University, Amman, Jordan. ashehabi@ju.edu.jo

Pediatrics International : Official Journal of the Japan Pediatric Society
|January 31, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization is more common in Jordanian outpatient infants than inpatients. All MRSA strains carried clinically important toxin genes, highlighting a potential infection risk.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Infant colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is linked to specific toxin genes.
  • Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) is a significant risk factor for subsequent infections in hospitalized infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus colonization in the nares and intestines of Jordanian infants.
  • To identify the prevalence of specific toxin genes and SCCmec types in MRSA isolates.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective study of 430 infants at Jordan University Hospital.
  • Collection and culture of 860 nasal and stool specimens.
  • Antimicrobial susceptibility testing, PCR for toxin genes, and SCCmec typing of MRSA isolates.

Main Results:

  • Staphylococcus aureus colonization found in 18.6% of infants; 6.3% in both nares and intestines.
  • Higher S. aureus carriage rates in outpatient infants (27.3% nasal, 17.1% intestinal) compared to NICU inpatients (2.8% nasal, 2.3% intestinal).
  • MRSA accounted for 53.3% of isolates; 28% were PVL-positive with SCCmec type IV. All MRSA carried at least one toxin gene.

Conclusions:

  • S. aureus colonizes Jordanian outpatient infants more frequently than inpatients.
  • All identified MRSA strains harbored 1-3 clinically significant staphylococcal toxin genes.
  • Further research is needed to understand the role of these toxins in infant infections.
Abstract

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