Primary skin abscesses are mainly caused by Panton-Valentine leukocidin-positive Staphylococcus aureus strains.
BACKGROUND
The role of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) in skin and soft-tissue infections is not clear.


OBJECTIVE
Our purpose was to determine the prevalence of PVL gene carriage among Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from primary and secondary skin abscesses.


METHODS
A prospective study was conducted. From July 2003 to June 2008, S. aureus isolates from skin abscesses were screened for the PVL genes. The abscesses were considered primary if they occurred on previously healthy skin and secondary in all other cases.


RESULTS
Fifty-seven patients presenting with S. aureus skin abscesses were included in the study. The PVL genes were detected in 40 (70%) of the 57 S. aureus isolates. Thirty-eight (92.7%) of the 41 primary skin abscesses were due to PVL-positive strains, compared to only 2 (12.5%) of the 16 secondary skin abscesses (p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Primary skin abscesses are mainly caused by PVL-positive S. aureus strains.
del Giudice
Pascal
P
Unité d'Infectiologie-Dermatologie, Hôpital Bonnet, Avenue André Léotard, FR-83700 Fréjus, France. del-giudice-p@chi-frejus-saint-raphael.fr
Blanc
Véronique
V
de Rougemont
Alexis
A
Bes
Michèle
M
Lina
Gérard
G
Hubiche
Thomas
T
Roudière
Laurent
L
Vandenesch
François
F
Etienne
Jérôme
J
D000038:Abscess / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005098:Exotoxins / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007956:Leukocidins / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013207:Staphylococcal Skin Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D005098:Exotoxins; D007956:Leukocidins; C078284:Panton-Valentine leukocidin