Panton-Valentine leukocidin is not a virulence determinant in murine models of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus disease

Increases in the incidence and severity of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infections have spawned efforts to define unique virulence properties among prevalent strains. Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL), a pore-forming cytotoxin, has garnered attention because of its epidemiologic association with CA-MRSA. Using both the clinical isolate LAC, which is representative of the epidemic USA300 strain, and its isogenic PVL-negative strain in murine models of staphylococcal skin infection and pneumonia, we expanded upon recent studies by assessing the contribution of PVL in the genetic background of BALB/c mice. The data presented in this report support the observation that PVL does not contribute to the pathogenesis of staphylococcal infection of mice.