Successful treatment of Panton-Valentine leukocidin-expressing Staphylococcus aureus-associated pneumonia co-infected with influenza using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) is a cytotoxin that causes leukocyte destruction and lung necrosis. Managing respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome secondary to PVL-expressing Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia and its associated lung necrosis with mechanical ventilation is challenging. We report a patient with life-threatening PVL-expressing S. aureus-associated pneumonia who was rescued using extracorporeal membrane...