To the Editor: Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) is a cytotoxin produced by Staphylococcus aureus that causes leukocyte destruction and tissue necrosis (1). Although produced by <5% of S. aureus strains, the toxin is detected in large percentages of isolates that cause necrotic skin lesions and severe necrotizing pneumonia (2). Although commonly associated with community-acquired methicillin-re...

Trichinella papuae and Trichinella zimbab-wensis induce infection in experimentally infected varans, caimans, pythons and turtles. Trichinellosis: recommendations on methods for the control of Trichinella in domestic and wild animals intended for human consumption. La Rosa G. PCR-derived methods for the identification of Trichinella parasites from animal and human samples. The identification an...

BackgroundPanton–Valentine leucocidin (PVL)-positive community-associated meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) is increasingly associated with infection outbreaks.AimTo investigate multiple suspected PVL-positive CA-MRSA outbreaks using whole-genome sequencing (WGS).MethodsForty-six outbreak-associated isolates from 36 individuals at three separate Irish hospitals (H1–H3) and in...

Eighty-two percent of 320 clinical methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates from various infection sites collected throughout South Africa were separated into five major globally prevalent clusters by SmaI pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, spa, and SCCmec typing. Only one Panton-Valentine leukocidin-positive isolate was detected. This is the first detailed MRSA epidemiology s...

We examined the antibody responses of pediatric patients infected with community-associated Staphylococcus aureus isolates. The data show that patients infected with Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)-positive strains developed a dominant immunoglobulin G anti-PVL antibody response that correlates with markers of inflammation.

Benjamin P Fairfax ([email protected]) Sarah Pratap ([email protected]) Ian SD Roberts ([email protected]) Jane Collier ([email protected]) Rick Kaplan ([email protected]) Angela M Meade ([email protected]) Alistair W Ritchie ([email protected]) Tim Eisen ([email protected]) Valentine Macaulay ([email protected]) Andrew Protheroe (andrew.pro...