OBJECTIVES We report on an outbreak of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) among kindergarten families. We analyzed the transmission route and aimed to control the outbreak. METHODS The transmission route was investigated by nasal screening for Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)-producing Staphylococcus aureus (PVL-SA), subsequent microbiological investigation including whole genome sequenc...

OBJECTIVES To measure both fractional anisotropy (FA) values in the corticospinal tracts (CSTs) and volume of the thalami in preterm infants with cystic periventricular leukomalacia (c-PVL) and to compare these measurements with control infants. STUDY DESIGN Preterm infants with c-PVL and controls with magnetic resonance imaging data acquired between birth and term equivalent age (TEA) were r...

BACKGROUND Significant paravalvular leak (PVL) after surgical valve replacement can result in intractable congestive heart failure and hemolytic anemia. Because repeat surgery is performed in only few patients, transcatheter reduction of PVL is emerging as an alternative option, but its safety and efficacy remain uncertain. In this study we sought to assess whether a successful transcatheter PV...

BACKGROUND  Antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a globally emerging pathogen. Exchangeable virulence factors, such as Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL), have been proposed to drive this epidemic. We investigated whether skin infections and nasal colonization in travelers contribute to the global spread of such strains. METHODS  We conducted a case-control study of 38 returnees from ...

Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen that elaborates several exotoxins. Among these are the bicomponent leukotoxins (BCLs), which include γ-hemolysin, Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL), and LukDE. The toxin components are classified as either F or S proteins, which are secreted individually and assemble on cell surfaces to form hetero-oligomeric pores resulting in lysis of PMNs and/o...

Data concerning the virulence and pathogenesis of South African strains of Staphylococcus aureus are limited. We investigated host-pathogen interactions of randomly selected clinical S. aureus isolates representing various clones. We characterized the ability of isolates to adhere to fibronectin, fibrinogen, collagens IV and VI, to invade host cells and to induce cell death in vitro. We analyse...

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carrying the important virulence determinant, Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL), is an emerging infectious pathogen associated with skin and soft tissue infections as well as life-threatening invasive diseases. In carrying out the first PVL prevalence study in Nepal, we screened 73 nosocomial isolates of S. aureus from 2 tertiary care Nepali ho...

BACKGROUND Transmitted human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) drug resistance (TDR) mutations are transmitted from nonresponding patients (defined as patients with no initial response to treatment and those with an initial response for whom treatment later failed) or from patients who are naive to treatment. Although the prevalence of drug resistance in patients who are not responding to tre...

Nitric oxide (NO) participates in shock and poorer portal hypotensive effect to vasoconstrictors in portal hypertension with hemorrhage, the so-called splanchnic hyposensitivity. Relative adrenal insufficiency accompanies hemorrhagic shock and is found in liver disease, the 'hepatoadrenal syndrome', but the relevant interactions remain unsettled. Portal hypertensive rats were induced by partial...

BACKGROUND An eight (8) months prospective study was carried out to control an outbreak of nosocomial pneumonia due to a Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) producing Staphylococcus aureus, in the paediatrics' unit at the Zou/Collines Departmental Hospital (CHDZ/C), (Benin). METHODS Between 1(st) September 2004 and 30(th) May 2005 an investigation was conducted that involved the screening of al...