Study Status: Recruiting
Recruit Status: Recruiting
Study Type: Interventional
Official Title: Panton Valentine Leucocidin : Independent Severity Factor of Staphylococcus Aureus Pneumonias
Brief Summary:
Staphylococcus aureus expresses a variety of virulence factors, including Panton Valentine leukocidin (PVL), a cytotoxin. PVL is specifically associated with primary skin and soft-tissue infections and severe necrotizing pneumonia (Gillet et al. Lancet, 2002;359:753-9). PVL-positive S. aureus pneumonia is often preceded by influenza-like symptoms, and is mainly characterized by hemoptysis, pleural effusion, rapid onset of acute respiratory distress, leukopenia and a high fatality rate (65%) (Gillet et al. Lancet, 2002;359:753-9). Ten year after the first description of this disease and a number of controversies in the scientific literature, the question arise as to whether PVL remains an independent factor of severity in S.aureus pneumonia. In addition, numerous questions remain unanswered yet; these are: