Detection of Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin (tsst) Gene Among Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Patients and Healthy Carriers

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is the major causative agent of hospital-acquired and community-acquired infections. These bacteria produce a wide variety of exotoxins, including Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin (TSST) and virulence factors, which are thought to contribute to its pathogenic potential. Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify tsst gene in S. aureus isolated from patients and healthy carriers. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 60 humanS. aureus isolates were collected from individuals referred to Shahid Beheshti hospital (patients, n = 40) and healthy farm workers (n = 20) in Hamadan province of Iran. Thereafter, DNA samples were extracted using the phenol-chloroform method and the samples were investigated for tsst gene using a specific PCR assay. Results: The DNA fragment corresponding to the tsst gene (326 bp) was observed in 45% (9 out of 20) of S. aureus isolated from healthy farm workers; while, 22.5% (9 out of 40) of patients’ isolates were found to be positive for tsst gene, which indicated that in total 30% of the isolates possessed this gene. Conclusions: The results of the present study showed the high prevalence of the tsst gene among S. aureus isolated from healthy farm workers and patients. Therefore, appropriate precautions must be considered to decrease the risk of transmission of such isolates to other humans.