Prevalence of genes encoding for members of the staphylococcal leukotoxin family among clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus

Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2004 Jul;49(3):157-62. doi: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2004.03.009.

Abstract

Well-characterized Staphylococcus aureus nasal and blood isolates (N = 429) were tested by polymerase chain reaction for the prevalence of genes that encode leukocidal toxins. The leukotoxin genes lukE+lukD were found at high prevalence, significantly more so in blood (82%) than in nasal isolates (60.5%). Although almost all isolates were positive for the gamma-hemolysin gene, none was positive for lukM. Genes encoding Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) components were very rare in either nasal or blood isolates. The lukE+lukD-negative isolates were significantly more likely to be positive for the staphylococcal enterotoxin gene combination seg/sei (89.5%) and the toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 gene (39.3%) than lukE+lukD-positive isolates (41.7% and 12.7%, respectively). The lukE+lukD-negative isolates were also more likely to show positivity for the accessory gene regulatory locus agr III, but less likely to be positive for the agr II locus. The co-possession of different virulence factors and their probable synergy should receive more attention in order to better understand their role in pathogenicity.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics*
  • Bacterial Toxins / genetics
  • Bacterial Toxins / metabolism
  • Base Sequence
  • Confidence Intervals
  • DNA Fingerprinting
  • Exotoxins / genetics*
  • Exotoxins / metabolism
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Logistic Models
  • Male
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Odds Ratio
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction*
  • Prevalence
  • Probability
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Staphylococcal Infections / epidemiology
  • Staphylococcal Infections / genetics
  • Staphylococcal Infections / microbiology*
  • Staphylococcus aureus / genetics*
  • Staphylococcus aureus / metabolism*

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Bacterial Toxins
  • Exotoxins
  • LukD protein, Staphylococcus aureus
  • LukE protein, Staphylococcus aureus
  • leukotoxin