Healthcare-associated outbreaks and community-acquired infections due to MRSA carrying the Panton-Valentine leucocidin gene in southeastern Germany

In response to several isolations of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carrying the Panton-Valentine leucocidin gene (PVL-MRSA), the present study was conducted to document the spread of infection in a small region of southeastern Germany. During a 9-month period, two healthcare-associated outbreaks with PVL-MRSA occurred, affecting 83 patients, personnel and contacts of personnel, and 34 additional cases were detected in the community. The clinical spectrum ranged from colonization to skin infection and necrotizing pneumonia. The findings represent the largest number of PVL-MRSA cases detected in Germany so far, and demonstrate the potential of this emerging pathogen to spread within the community and in healthcare institutions.