Role of methicillin- resistant staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization and Panton-valentine leukocidin toxin gene expression in recurrent skin infections

ABSTRACT

Background: staphylococcus Aureus [S.aureus] skin infections are a global problem affecting all age groups from infancy to elderly, mainly because of emerging resistance against widely used antibiotics and presence of specific virulence determinants Panton-Valentine Leukocidin [PVL]. Nasal colonization with methicillin-resistant S, aureus [MRSA] is believed to precede skin diseases, therefore it is reasonable to expect that testing for 'nasal MRSA colonization could provide guidance in the choice of empirical therapy for skin infections. Better control of MRSA within the community setting is necessary to prevent dissemination of epidemic and or multi resistant MRSA clones among outpatients. Combined phenotypic and molecular tests for rapid identification and discrimination of the Staphylococcus genus from others, with simultaneous discrimination of methicillin-resistant from susceptible staphylococcal strains and concomitant detection of PVL genes are of great values