Infective skin conditions in an adult sea-going population

2014 ◽  
Vol 100 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-57
Author(s):  
J Tanzer ◽  
A Macdonald ◽  
S Schofield

AbstractInfective skin conditions represent a significant element of the caseload for sea-going and shore-side clinicians. They are common within the wider military setting due to the frequent requirement to live in close proximity to others in conditions which favour the spread of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) (1, 2). Within the UK civilian population, 24% of individuals see their family doctor for skin conditions each year, accounting for 13 million primary care consultations annually. Of these, almost 900,000 were referred to dermatologists in England in 2009-2010 and resulted in 2.74 million secondary care consultations (3).Several recent articles have highlighted the problem of Panton-Valentine Leukocidin Staphylococcus aureus (PVL-SA) infection and carriage in sailors on submarines, and soldiers deployed to Afghanistan (4, 5). However, the majority of published articles relate to land-based military personnel. This article aims to provide an overview of the most common infective skin conditions presenting among Naval personnel (based on the authors’ experience), illustrated by several case studies, together with an approach to their diagnosis and management.

2005 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 7-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Vourli ◽  
D Perimeni ◽  
A Makri ◽  
M Polemis ◽  
A Voyiatzi ◽  
...  

We investigated the characteristics of 20 community acquired methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains isolated in a paediatric hospital in Athens. Eighteen of these, all isolated from skin and soft tissue infections, carried the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) determinants. They all were found resistant to fusidic acid, tetracycline and kanamycin, and displayed a PFGE pattern identical to that of the well-described ST80 CA-MRSA clone circulating in various European countries.


2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (44) ◽  
Author(s):  
T X Nhan ◽  
M Bes ◽  
H Meugnier ◽  
L Toko ◽  
G Julienne ◽  
...  

We describe the occurrence in France of a Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)-positive meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) ST93 clone, a predominant community-acquired (CA)-MRSA in Australia. In July to August 2012, an outbreak in a scout camp (n=3) and sporadic cases (n=2) of skin and soft tissue infections were reported. Investigations suggested importation of the clone through travel and onward transmission. This illustrates the epidemic potential of this lineage and the role of travellers in the spread of PVL-positive CA-MRSA.


2010 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. e17-e19 ◽  
Author(s):  
MJ Hall ◽  
JA Steer ◽  
J Keenan

Panton–Valentine leukocidin toxin producing Staphylococcus aureus (PVLSA) is known to be responsible for recurrent soft tissue infections and more serious invasive infections including necrotising pneumonia, pyomyositis, and osteomyelitis. Most reported cases involving musculoskeletal infection in adults are associated with methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) PVL-producing strains. We present the case of an adult male with PVL toxin–producing methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) osteomyelitis of the tibia which has not previously been described in adults and highlight issues of recognition, treatment, and surgical management of PVLSA osteomyelitis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. e228297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahbaz Piracha ◽  
Syeda Saba Muneer Ahmed ◽  
Samira Mohd Afzal ◽  
Muhammad Badar Ganaie

We report a case of a previously fit middle-aged man presenting to the outpatient setting with unilateral pleural effusion, with minimal symptoms. On subsequent investigations, he was diagnosed with empyema thoracis secondary to Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)-toxin positive community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The patient was treated with prolonged antibiotics and pleural drainage, and he remained haemodynamically stable throughout hospital admission. PVL is a cytolytic exotoxin produced by some strains of S. aureus. Such strains often cause recurrent skin and soft tissue infections, usually in previously fit and healthy individuals. Less commonly, invasive infections occur; these carry a high mortality rate if associated with necrotising pneumonia or septic shock. PVL genes are present in approximately 2% of clinical isolates of S. aureus in the UK. PVL-producing MRSA infections are on the rise and present significant clinical and public health challenges.


2014 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiwen Hu ◽  
Hang Cheng ◽  
Wenchang Yuan ◽  
Fangyin Zeng ◽  
Weilong Shang ◽  
...  

The emergence of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)-positive methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) is a public health concern worldwide. PVL is associated with community-associated MRSA and is linked to skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). However, PVL genes have also been detected in health care-associated (HA) MRSA isolates. The diseases associated with PVL-positive HA-MRSA isolates and the distributions of PVL-encoding bacteriophages in HA-MRSA have not been determined. In this study, a total of 259 HA-MRSA strains isolated between 2009 and 2012 in China from inpatients with SSTIs, pneumonia, and bacteremia were selected for molecular typing, including staphylococcal cassette chromosomemectyping, multilocus sequence typing, and staphylococcal protein A gene typing. The PVL genes and PVL bacteriophages in the MRSA isolates were characterized by PCR. Among the tested MRSA isolates, 28.6% (74/259) were PVL positive. The high prevalence of PVL-carrying HA-MRSA was observed to be associated with SSTIs but not with pneumonia or bacteremia. The PVL-positive HA-MRSA isolates were colonized mainly by infective PVL phages, namely, Φ7247PVL, ΦSLT, and ΦSa2958. The distribution of PVL-carrying bacteriophages differed geographically. Our study highlights the potential risk of the emergence of multidrug-resistant HA-MRSA strains with increased virulence.


2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (10) ◽  
pp. 488-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Gros ◽  
Y. Yazdanpanah ◽  
A. Vachet ◽  
M. Roussel-Delvallez ◽  
E. Senneville ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Abiola Senok ◽  
Stefan Monecke ◽  
Rania Nassar ◽  
Handan Celiloglu ◽  
Sreeraj Thyagarajan ◽  
...  

IntroductionPanton Valentine leukocidin (PVL) is a virulence factor which is associated with methicillin sensitive and resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA/MRSA) causing skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI). This study aimed to evaluate a novel lateral flow immunoassay (LFI) for PVL detection in S. aureus cultures and to describe their genotypic characterization.MethodsThe study was carried out from January-August 2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. S. aureus isolates associated with SSTI were tested for PVL detection using LFI. DNA microarray-based assays were used for molecular characterization including detection of pvl genes.ResultsOne-hundred thirty-five patients with a clinical diagnosis of SSTIs were recruited. Sixty-six patients received antibiotics, mostly beta lactams (n=36) and topical fusidic acid (n=15). One-hundred twenty-nine isolates (MRSA: n=43; MSSA: n=86) were tested by LFI and DNA microarrays. All 76 (58.9%) isolates which were unambiguously negative for the PVL in LFI were negative for pvl genes using the DNA microarray. All the LFI PVL positive isolates (n=53) had pvl genes detected. This translates into 100% each for sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for the LFI. The LFI typically takes about 15 min inclusive of a 10 min incubation period. Predominant S. aureus clonal complexes (CC) were CC30 (n=18), CC22 (n=13), CC5 (n=12), CC1 (n=11), CC152 (n=8), CC15 (n=7); CC97 (n=7); CC8 and CC20 (n=6 each). Among MRSA, the proportion of pvl-positives (35/43; 81%) was higher than among MSSA (n/N=18/86; 21%). The fusidic acid resistance gene fusC was detected in 14 MRSA (33%) compared to 8 MSSA (9%). A co-carriage of fusC and pvl genes was present in 7 MRSA and in one MSSA.ConclusionLFI shows excellent diagnostic accuracy indices for rapid identification of PVL in MSSA/MRSA in a setting with high prevalence of pvl+ve strains. The high occurrence of pvl and fusC genes in MRSA strains causing SSTI is of concern and needs constant surveillance.


2013 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-12
Author(s):  
P Johnstone ◽  
AS Matheson

AbstractOver the last seven years Primary Care establishments in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines have dealt with a number of severe and fatal infections caused by Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) producing Staphylococcus aureus, and appear to be seeing these infections more commonly than their civilian colleagues. This retrospective study looked at the levels of PVL S. aureus isolated in deployed personnel during Op HERRICK 14 to determine if the levels seen in British military troops are higher than the national average. We found that the percentage of PVL positive S. aureus isolates sent to the UK HPA reference laboratory from the Camp Bastion laboratory during OP Herrick 14 was 41%, considerably higher rate than the UK civilian rate. Future research, including a larger study into the carriage levels of PVL S. aureus in the military will hopefully shed more light on the spread and transmission of this potentially deadly bacterium.


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