Frequency of Fibronectin Binding Protein A and Panton-Valentine Leukocidin in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Collected From Educational Hospitals in Qazvin, Iran

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important organisms involved in nosocomial infection acquired by patients. In recent years, the appearance of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) has turned the treatment of these infections into a serious challenge. Surface proteins, such as fibronectin binding proteins (FnBP), and the ability to produce Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) are important factors in pathogenesis of this organism. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of disease-associated genes in the clinical isolates of S. aureus encoding FNB and PVL, collected from the educational hospitals of Qazvin, Iran. Patients and Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study in which a total of 103 isolates of methicillin-resistant S. aureus were collected from hospitalized patients in teaching hospitals of Qazvin, during 2013 - 2014. Initially, the identification of isolates was performed according to the standard laboratory methods, followed by confirming the presence of the femA gene, a gene specific to S. aureus. Later, the prevalence of virulence genes (fnb and pvl) was investigated by the PCR method, using specific primers. PCR products were sequenced to confirm the presence of the target genes. Results: The results of this study showed that among 103 isolates of S. aureus resistant to methicillin, 88 isolates were positive for the presence of the pvl and fnb genes, with the fnb gene present in 86 (83.5%) isolates and the pvl gene only in 2 (1.9%) isolates. Conclusions: The results of the present study indicate the presence of the pvl and fnb genes in the strains of S. aureus isolated from clinical specimens collected from the patients admitted to teaching hospitals in Qazvin. Considering the clinical significance of these organisms, and their potential in threatening public health systems, the identification, treatment, and infection control management of patients infected with these organisms is of prime necessity.