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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, April 2003, p. 1434-1439, Vol. 41, No. 4
0095-1137/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.41.4.1434-1439.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Prevalence of Genes Encoding Pyrogenic Toxin Superantigens and Exfoliative Toxins among Strains of Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Blood and Nasal Specimens

Karsten Becker,1* Alexander W. Friedrich,2 Gabriele Lubritz,1 Maria Weilert,1 Georg Peters,1 and Christof von Eiff1

Institute of Medical Microbiology,1 Institute for Hygiene, University Hospital of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany2

Received 17 October 2002/ Returned for modification 1 December 2002/ Accepted 31 December 2002

A total of 429 different Staphylococcus aureus isolates encompassing 219 blood isolates and 210 isolates taken from anterior nares were systematically searched by two multiplex PCR-DNA enzyme immunoassays (PCR-DEIA) for exfoliative toxin (ET) genes eta and etb, as well as for the classical members of the pyrogenic toxin superantigen (PTSAg) gene family comprising the staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) genes sea-see and the toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 gene tst. In addition, a third PCR-DEIA was established to investigate the possession of four recently described SE genes, viz. seg-sej. The most frequent PTSAg/ET genes amplified were seg and sei, which were found strictly in combination in 55.0% of the S. aureus isolates tested. Other frequently detected toxin genes were tst (20.3%), sea (15.9%), and sec (11.2%). Only five isolates harbored ET genes. Regarding the origin of the S. aureus isolates, a significant difference (P = 0.037) was found for the possession of the sed/sej gene combination (10.5% of blood isolates versus 3.3% of nasal strains). Overall, about half of S. aureus isolates tested harbored genes of the classical members of the PTSAg family and ETs (50.8%), whereas 73.0% of S. aureus isolates were toxin gene positive if the recently described SE genes were included. This notable higher prevalence indicates that the possession of PTSAg genes in particular seems to be a habitual feature of S. aureus. Moreover, mainly due to the fixed combinations of seg plus sei, as well as sed plus sej, the possession of multiple PTSAg genes (62.9%) is more frequent than assumed so far.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: University of Münster, Institute of Medical Microbiology, D-48149 Münster, Germany. Phone: (49) 251-83-55360. Fax: (49) 251-83-55350. E-mail: kbecker{at}uni-muenster.de.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, April 2003, p. 1434-1439, Vol. 41, No. 4
0095-1137/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.41.4.1434-1439.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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