Significant increase in the prevalence of Panton–Valentine leukocidin-positive methicillin-resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> , particularly the USA300 variant ΨUSA300, in the Japanese community

Abstract

USA300 is an MRSA clone producing PVL, a toxin associated with SSTIs. ΨUSA300 is a USA300 variant recently identified in Japan by Takadama et al. (15). Here, we found that the prevalence rate of PVL-positive MRSA in <i>S. aureus</i> was elevated in the Japanese community, and ΨUSA300 accounted for most of them. ΨUSA300 strains have been isolated from several areas in Japan and were associated with deep-seated SSTIs. This study highlighted the emerging threat posed by ΨUSA300 in Japan.