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Expression of Panton-Valentine leukocidin mRNA among Staphylococcus aureus isolates associates with specific clinical

Fangyou Yu1, Ying Liu2, Yuanyuan Xu2

  • 1Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou, Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.

Plos One
|December 19, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) gene expression in Staphylococcus aureus is higher in skin infections than blood stream infections. PVL mRNA levels also indicate greater severity in children and community-acquired infections.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) is a key virulence factor in Staphylococcus aureus.
  • PVL expression correlates with disease severity in certain infections like skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs).
  • The relationship between lukF/S-PV gene expression and specific clinical presentations remains largely uninvestigated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify lukS-PV mRNA levels in Staphylococcus aureus isolates.
  • To determine if lukS-PV mRNA expression correlates with specific clinical presentations in adult and pediatric patients.
  • To explore the potential of lukS-PV mRNA quantification as a predictive tool for S. aureus infection severity.

Main Methods:

  • Quantification of lukS-PV mRNA in 96 Staphylococcus aureus isolates using molecular techniques.
  • Comparison of expression levels across different clinical presentations: SSTIs, bloodstream infections (BSIs), community-acquired (CA) vs. hospital-acquired (HA) infections.
  • Analysis of expression differences between pediatric and adult patients with BSIs.

Main Results:

  • Significantly higher lukS-PV mRNA expression was observed in isolates from SSTIs compared to BSIs.
  • Pediatric BSI isolates showed significantly higher lukS-PV mRNA expression than adult BSI isolates.
  • Community-acquired (CA) S. aureus isolates exhibited significantly greater lukS-PV mRNA expression than hospital-acquired (HA) isolates.

Conclusions:

  • lukS-PV mRNA expression levels differ significantly based on infection type, patient age group, and acquisition source.
  • These findings support further research into the clinical utility of lukS-PV mRNA quantification for predicting S. aureus infection severity.
  • PVL gene expression may serve as a valuable biomarker for risk-assessment in S. aureus infections.

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