ArticleBMC infectious diseases2020
An outbreak of cutaneous abscesses caused by Panton-Valentine leukocidin-producing methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus among gold mine workers, South Africa, November 2017 to March 2018.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Gender and sex differences in occupation-specific infectious diseases: a systematic review.Occupational and environmental medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Genomic comparison of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from patients with bacteraemia and infective endocarditis at public hospitals in Gauteng, South Africa.World journal of microbiology & biotechnology · 2026Article
- Public health impacts of gold mining in Ghana: A scoping review of environmental exposures and intersectoral resilience strategies.Journal of public health in Africa · 2026Review
- Molecular epidemiology of panton valentine leukocidin-producing Staphylococcus aureus infections, Djibouti, 2018-2023.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Article
- Bacteriophage Resistance, Adhesin's and Toxin's Genes Profile ofMicroorganisms · 2025Article
- Genomic Characterization of Methicillin-Resistant and Methicillin-SusceptibleAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Article
- Skin infections due to Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)-producing S. aureus-Cost effectiveness of outpatient treatment.PloS one · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
22 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWe aimed to describe an outbreak of cutaneous abscesses caused by Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)-producing methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) among gold mine workers.
methodsIn February 2018, we retrospectively reviewed a random sample of 50 medical records from 243 cases and conducted face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. Pus aspirates were sent to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases from prospectively-identified cases (November 2017-March 2018). Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected during a colonisation survey in February 2018. Staphylococcus aureus isolates were screened with a conventional PCR for lukS/F-PV. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed to determine the genetic relatedness among the isolates. A sample of isolates were selected for whole genome sequencing (WGS). We conducted an assessment on biological risks associated with mining activities.
resultsFrom January 2017 to February 2018, 10% (350/3582) of mine workers sought care for cutaneous abscesses. Forty-seven medical files were available for review, 96% were male (n = 45) with a mean age of 43 years (SD = 7). About 52% (24/46) were involved in stoping and 28% (13/47) worked on a particular level. We cultured S. aureus from 79% (30/38) of cases with a submitted specimen and 14% (12/83) from colonisation swabs. All isolates were susceptible to cloxacillin. Seventy-one percent of S. aureus isolates (30/42) were PVL-PCR-positive. Six PFGE clusters were identified, 57% (21/37) were closely related. WGS analysis found nine different sequence types. PFGE and WGS analysis showed more than one cluster of S. aureus infections involving closely related isolates. Test reports for feed and product water of the mine showed that total plate counts were above the limits of 1000 cfu/ml, coliform counts > 10 cfu/100 ml and presence of faecal coliforms. Best practices were poorly implemented as some mine workers washed protective clothing with untreated water and hung them for drying at the underground surface.
conclusionsPVL-producing MSSA caused an outbreak of cutaneous abscesses among underground workers at a gold mining company. To our knowledge, no other outbreaks of PVL-producing S. aureus involving skin and soft tissue infections have been reported in mining facilities in South Africa. We recommend that worker awareness of infection prevention and control practices be strengthened.
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