Isolation and Identification of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Based on hla, lukED, sei, and hlg Virulence Genes in Patients with Diabetic Foot Infection in Mazandaran Province

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is the most common bacterial agent of diabetic foot Infection (DFI).The Virulence factors of this bacterium increases the severity of the degree of wound infection, and if not treated promptly, results in lower limb amputation and death of the affected patients. The aim of this study was to isolate methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus carries the mecA gene and to detect 4 Virulence genes hla, lukED, sei and hlg from patients with diabetic foot infection in order to evaluate their role in severity of infection.
30 cases of diabetic foot infections in Mazandaran province were collected from pus drainage and Staphylococcus aureus was purified according to culture characteristics and biochemical tests. The molecular evaluation of the isolates after DNA extraction was performed with five pairs of specific primers of intended genes, by PCR method.
Of the 30 patients, 14 isolates (46.6%) of S. aureus were isolated and identified. Each 14 samples contained mecA gene and the frequency of hla, lukED, sei and hlg genes in isolates was 100%, 100%, 71.4% and 64.2%, respectively.
Identification of these 4 genes with the mecA gene in S. aureus isolated from diabetic foot Infection can be an effective and reliable genetic marker for diagnosis of foot infection in diabetic patients. To prevent amputation, diagnosis of infection by PCR method and appropriate timely antibiotic therapy are required for Diabetic patients.