Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with Panton-Valentine leukocidin gene from a pediatric hospital in Morocco.

Introduction: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of nosocomial and community infections. These infections are becoming increasingly difficult to combat, because of emerging resistance to all classes of antibiotics. Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) is an important virulence factor in MRSA and causes white blood cell destruction, necrosis, and accelerated apoptosis. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of pvl-positive MRSA in a pediatric hospital, in Marrakech, Morocco.

Methodology: 53 isolates of MRSA were recovered in the hospital from December 2010 to May 2014, and confirmed with biochemical tests (coagulase, mannitol fermentation, and DNase). Then, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect pvl.

Results: Among the 259 Staphylococcus aureus isolates collected from various clinical specimens, 53 were identified as MRSA; and the presence of the PVL gene was investigated in them using PCR analysis. Out of the 53 MRSA isolates, only 1 (1.89%) was positive for pvl This pvl-positive MRSA isolate was characterized as staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec IV (SCCmec IV), a type commonly associated with community-acquired MRSA infections.

Conclusions: The study revealed a relatively low prevalence of PVL-positive MRSA among pediatric patients at the University Hospital Center CHU Mohamed VI in Marrakech, with only 1.89% of MRSA isolates testing positive for pvl. Despite this low prevalence, the presence of PVL-positive strains accentuates a potential risk for severe infections in vulnerable children. These findings underscore the imperative need for sustained surveillance and rigorous infection control measures to mitigate the spread of MRSA and other resistant pathogens.