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Updated: May 9, 2026
12:18
Subcutaneous Infection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)
Published on: February 9, 2011
Community-onset Staphylococcus aureus infections presenting to general practices in South-eastern Australia
C M Bennett1, G W Coombs2, G M Wood3
1The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Epidemiology and Infection
|July 23, 2013
Summary
Community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus infections, including methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA), are common. Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) was frequently found in non-multiresistant MRSA and associated with skin infections in younger patients.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus infections pose a significant public health challenge.
- Limited understanding exists regarding infections not requiring hospitalization.
- Community-onset infections are often diagnosed and treated outside hospital settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize community-onset Staphylococcus aureus infections.
- To investigate the prevalence of antibiotic resistance and Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) in these infections.
- To identify factors associated with PVL-positive isolates.
Main Methods:
- Specimens from community-onset S. aureus infections were collected via a community pathology service.
- Referring physicians confirmed eligibility and provided clinical data on infection site, severity, and treatment.
- Bacterial isolates underwent characterization for antibiotic resistance, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), multilocus sequence typing/SCCmec (MLST/SCCmec), and PVL gene detection.
Main Results:
- A total of 106 community-onset infections were analyzed: 34 non-multiresistant MRSA (nmMRSA), 15 multiresistant MRSA (mMRSA), and 57 methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA).
- The majority (93%) were skin and soft tissue infections.
- PVL genes were present in 42% of nmMRSA and 15% of MSSA isolates. PVL was significantly associated with trunk, head, or neck infections (56.4% vs. 24.3%) and occurred in younger patients (23 vs. 52 years) and with boils/abscesses.
Conclusions:
- Community-onset Staphylococcus aureus infections are diverse, encompassing MSSA, nmMRSA, and mMRSA.
- PVL is a notable virulence factor in community-acquired S. aureus, particularly in nmMRSA strains causing skin and soft tissue infections.
- PVL-positive infections show distinct epidemiological and clinical characteristics, suggesting differences in pathogen exposure or virulence mechanisms.
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