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Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: OBJECTIVE, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Bacterial Toxins, Exotoxins, Hair Diseases, Hair Follicle, Humans, Leukocidins, Prospective Studies, Staphylococcal Skin Infections, Staphylococcus aureus.
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Are panton-Valentine leukocidin-positive Staphylococcus aureus strains associated with follicular skin infections? Context: Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)-positive Staphylococcus aureus have been associated with suppurative infections; however, their precise role in skin infections has not been elucidated. We studied the rate of PVL-positive S. aureus in the different types of skin infections and compared follicular to nonfollicular skin infections. In our institution, patients with a skin infection caused by S. aureus were enrolled in a prospective, observational cohort study (from July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2010). We studied the rate of PVL-positive S. aureus in the different clinical types of skin infections and compared the rate of PVL-positive S. aureus in follicular infections to that in nonfollicular infections. A total 229 skin infections were included: 97 (42.5%) were caused by PVL-positive strains. Thirty-nine of the 53 (74%) follicular infections [8 of the 17 (47%) with folliculitis, 30 of the 35 (85.5%) with furuncles and 1 with a carbuncle (100%)] were caused by PVL-positive S. aureus, compared to 16 of the 131 (12%) nonfollicular infections (p < 0.001).
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PVL-positive S. aureus strains are mainly associated with follicular skin infections. Final Decision: yes