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

Background: 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. objectives: 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. materials and methods: 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. results: 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. conclusions: the agr specific group i had the highest rate of detection among pathogens isolated from hospitalized children in tehran.