Accessory Gene Regulator Specificity Groups Among Staphylococcus aureus Isolated From Hospitalized Children

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) especially those with methicillin resistance are human pathogens capable of causing a wide variety of diseases, ranging from mild skin lesions to systemic and fatal infections. The aim of this study was to detect the accessory gene regulator (agr) specificity groups among methicillin resistant and susceptible S. aureus isolated from children. During July 2012 to January 2013, 22 S. aureusc linical isolates were collected from children aged between 2 to 11, in Loghman Hospital of Tehran. Antibiogram test was performed using disc diffusion method. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was conducted to detect mecA gene and agr specificity groups. Among 22 S. aureus clinical isolates collected from children, five isolates (22.7 %) were resistant to methicillin. fourteen isolates (63.6%) were resistant to amoxicillin and all were susceptible to vancomycin and linezolid. Agr specificity group I was detected in 12 (54.5%) isolates (in 2 MRSA and 10 MSSA isolates), agr group II in four (18%, in 3 MSSA and 1 MRSA), group III in 3 (9%, 2 in MSSA and one in MRSA), while agr specificity group IV was found in three (13.6%, 2 MSSA and 1 MRSA) isolates. The agr specific group I had the highest rate of detection among pathogens isolated from hospitalized children in Tehran