Prevalence of Virulence Factor Genes Pvl, nuc, Sea, icaA in Methicillin-Resistant in Staphylococcus aureus In Al Najaf City

aureus (MRSA) outbreaks have arisen as a major concern in healthcare facilities around the world. Sample collection began from September 2022 to January 2023, during which 300 samples were isolated from patients, including wound swabs, medial urine samples, semen, upper vaginal swabs, and burn swabs. The samples were selected from the patients of Al-Furat Al-Awsat and Al-Najaf Teaching Hospitals in Al-Najaf Governorate in the Guidance Department, and the included age groups ranged from (1-60) years. After diagnosing the samples by Gram stain, catalase test, and Coagulase test and cultures on a mannitol agar, the diagnosis was confirmed by the Vitek device. DNA was extracted by extraction kit. In the next stage, virulence genes were detected by PCR technique, and the result was PVL (20%), while Nuc was (90%), Sea was (63.3%), and finally, icaA was (36.6%). Correlations of virulence genes were also made, namely between age, sex and gene coexistence in the isolates, with Sea and Nuc being the most prevalent, followed by Sea with icaA.