A new approach to toxin neutralization in Staphylococcus aureus therapy

Staphylococcus aureus is a significant human pathogen responsible for a range of diseases including pneumonia, sepsis, skin, and soft tissue infections. An important component of its success as a human pathogen is the production of a large array of virulence factors including several toxins. In this issue of EMBO Reports, Reyes-Robles and colleagues identify a glycine-rich motif shared by bicomponent leukocidins. When this motif is deleted, the altered toxin exerts dominant-negative effects that neutralize leukocidin function and thus represents a potentially novel avenue for S. aureus therapy. A study in this issue describes an alternative approach to develop anti-Staphylococcus aureus therapeutics, by targeting a critical group of secreted S. aureus virulence factors: the bi-component, pore-forming leukocidins.