Enterotoxin and Exfoliative Toxin Genes Among Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates Recovered From Ilam, Iran

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one the most important pathogens across the world, associated with increased mortality rate compared to other Staphylococcal species. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate different virulence determinants among MRSA isolates from Ilam, Iran. Materials and Methods: Overall, ۱۰۰ MRSA isolates were collected from selected hospitals of Ilam, Iran. Oxacillin screening test and molecular detection of mecA were carried out by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to confirm the methicillin resistance. Presence of the virulence genes et A, B, tst, sea a, b, c, d and e were assessed using multiplex PCR. Results: All the tested isolates were susceptible to vancomycin, but resistant to penicillin (۱۰۰%), erythromycin (۳۱%), clindamycin (۲۷%), ciprofloxacin (۲۷%), gentamicin (۲۱%), and amikacin (۱۶%). The frequencies of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes were as follows: tst ۴۶%, eta ۱%, etb ۳%, sea ۴۱%, seb ۲%, sec ۱۴%, and see ۳۱%. Conclusions: Results of the present study showed that the tst and sea genes had high frequencies among the MRSA isolates. The increased prevalence of MRSA isolates containing different virulence genes, probably accompanied by antimicrobial resistance, can complicate the therapy of MRSA isolates.