Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus producing Panton-Valentine leukocidin in a retrospective case series from 12 French hospital laboratories, 2000-2003

A retrospective analysis of hospital laboratory databases for 2000-2003 found that 0.4-1.0% of methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus isolates had an antibiotic susceptibility pattern associated previously with the production of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL). Of 81 isolates of this type, 35 were available for molecular testing. Each of the 35 available isolates carried the PVL genes, and 33 of these 35 isolates had an identical SmaI pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pattern.