Leukocidin from Staphylococcus aureus and cutaneous infections: an epidemiologic study

Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) is a cytotoxin produced by less than 5% of Staphylococcus aureus strains, which act only on human and rabbit polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) and monocytes but not on erythrocytes. 1,2 Injections of purified PVL into rabbit skin were shown to induce karyorrhexis of PMNs and vascular necrosis, which led to a large ulceration. 3 To more clearly assess the relationships between PVL production and human pathology, we...