Characterization of a CC1153 PVL-producing community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from a dog bite wound

The isolation of a rare community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) strain from an infected dog bite wound is here reported. A 27–year old man presented with a deep open wound on his right hand caused by his dog’s bite at the outpatient clinic of Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), Kuwait. A wound swab was obtained for bacteriological culture and susceptibility testing. The wound culture yielded pure heavy growth of an MRSA isolate, designated IDH70, which was susceptible to vancomycin, teicoplanin, erythromycin, clindamycin, trimethoprim, fusidic acid and rifampicin. The patient was successfully treated with a combination of rifampicin and cotrimoxazole twice daily for 10 days. Molecular characterization revealed that IDH70 was positive for genes encoding Panton-Valentine leucocidin. IDH70 also carried the SCCmec V genetic element, belonged to coagulase type XIIIa, spa type t903, and was assigned to clonal complex 1153 and sequence type ST1153 (ST1153-V-t903). The report highlights the increasing burden of CA-MRSA in the community and the risk of its acquisition from bites of companion animals.