Staphylococcus aureus is a frequent agent of bacteraemia. This bacterium has a variety of virulence traits that allow the establishment and maintenance of infection. This study explored the virulence profile of S. aureus strains causing paediatric bacteraemia (SAB) in Manhiça district, Mozambique. We analysed 336 S. aureus strains isolated from blood cultures of children younger than 5 years admitted to the Manhiça District Hospital between 2001 and 2019, previously characterized for antibiotic susceptibility and clonality. The strains virulence potential was evaluated by PCR detection of the Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL) encoding genes, lukS-PV/lukF-PV, assessment of the capacity for biofilm formation and pathogenicity assays in Galleria mellonella. The overall carriage of PVL-encoding genes was over 40%, although reaching ~ 70 to 100% in the last years (2014 to 2019), potentially linked to the emergence of CC152 lineage. Strong biofilm production was a frequent trait of CC152 strains. Representative CC152 and CC121 strains showed higher virulence potential in the G. mellonella model when compared to reference strains, with variations within and between CCs. Our results highlight the importance of monitoring the emergent CC152-MSSA-PVL⁺ and other lineages, as they display important virulence traits that may negatively impact the management of SAB paediatric patients in Manhiça district, Mozambique.

金黄色葡萄球菌是菌血症的常见病原体。这种细菌具有多种毒力特征，可以建立和维持感染。本研究探讨了莫桑比克 Manhiça 地区引起儿童菌血症 (SAB)的金黄色葡萄球菌菌株的毒力特征。我们分析了2001 年至 2019 年间从 Manhiça 区医院收治的 5 岁以下儿童的血培养物中分离出的336 株金黄色葡萄球菌菌株，这些菌株之前已被鉴定为抗生素敏感性和克隆性。通过 PCR 检测 Panton-Valentine 杀白细胞素 (PVL) 编码基因lukS-PV/lukF-PV 、评估大蜡螟中生物膜形成能力和致病性测定来评估菌株的毒力潜力。 PVL 编码基因的总体携带率超过 40%，尽管在过去几年（2014 年至 2019 年）达到了约 70% 至 100%，这可能与 CC152 谱系的出现有关。强大的生物膜产生是 CC152 菌株的一个常见特征。与参考菌株相比，代表性的 CC152 和 CC121 菌株在大蜡螟模型中表现出更高的毒力潜力，CC 内部和之间存在差异。我们的结果强调了监测新出现的 CC152-MSSA-PVL ⁺和其他谱系的重要性，因为它们表现出重要的毒力特征，可能对莫桑比克 Manhiça 地区 SAB 儿科患者的管理产生负面影响。