Prevalence and Genetic Characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus argenteus Isolates Harboring Panton-Valentine Leukocidin, Enterotoxins, and TSST-1 Genes from Food Handlers in Myanmar

Asymptomatic carriers of toxigenic are potential source of diseases, including food poisoning. Toxigenic potential and genetic traits of colonizing were investigated for 563 healthy food handlers in Myanmar. Carriage of was found in 110 individuals (19.5%), and a total of 144 isolates were recovered from nasal cavities (110 isolates) and hands (34 isolates). Panton-Valentine leucocidin genes ( ) were detected in 18 isolates (12.5%), among which 11 isolates were classified into -VIa, type III, and ST1930 (CC96) that had been also detected in -positive clinical isolates in Myanmar. A -positive, ST2250 nasal isolate was identified as , a novel coagulase-positive staphylococcus species. Toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) gene was detected in five -negative isolates. All of the 144 isolates harbored at least one of the 21 enterotoxin(-like) gene(s). The most prevalent enterotoxin(-like) gene was (98%), followed by (97%), (28%), (28%), (26%), (24%), and and (22% each). Considerable genetic diversity with five groups was detected for . The present study revealed the relatively high rate of , as well as the wide distribution of enterotoxin(-like) genes among colonizing in Myanmar.