A new approach to toxin neutralization in Staphylococcus aureus therapy.

Staphylococcus aureus is a significant human pathogen responsible for a range of diseases including pneumonia, sepsis, skin, and soft tissue infections. An important component of its success as a human pathogen is the production of a large array of virulence factors including several toxins. In this issue of EMBO Reports, Reyes-Robles and colleagues [1] identify a glycine-rich motif shared by bicomponent leukocidins. When this motif is deleted, the altered toxin exerts dominant-negative effects that neutralize leukocidin function and thus represents a potentially novel avenue for S. aureus therapy.