In Vitro generation of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) in clinical Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and its correlation with PVL variant, clonal complex, infection type

The amount of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) is diverse among Staphylococcus aureus isolates from different geographical regions, and its significance in some infections is disputed. However, data concerning this information in China are limited. Fifty-one lukSF-PV(+) methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates gathered from varying infections were used for PVL production using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the quantity was analyzed in correlation with PVL isoform, genetic background of the isolate, and disease category. All isolates generated PVL with a range of 0.43–360.87 μg/mL, of which 56.9% isolates (29/51) generated 51–200 μg/mL of PVL; 11.8% (6/51) yielded PVL more than 200 μg/mL, and the rest (31.4%, 16/51) produced PVL of ≤50 μg/mL. The amount of PVL was not related to its variant and infection type, although isolates from skin and soft tissue infection had relatively high mean and median. Clonal complex (CC) 22 isolates might be the producer of relatively high concentrations of PVL; however, the difference among CCs was not analyzed due to a small number of CC isolates. The relevance of PVL production with the infection type, toxin isoform, and genetic characteristic of isolates may vary by clone type and also needs to be further evaluated using a large sample size and best concentration on in vivo environment.