ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the case study of a 54-year-old man. A 54-year-old man with a 1-year history of multiple skin boils is seen in the dermatology clinic. Multiple actively discharging boils and furuncles are seen on the right side of his chest with scarred areas from healed lesions. A swab was taken from the pus and carrier sites for microbiological analysis. Recurrent recalcitrant boils caused by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus are usually seen in young to middle-aged adults. Conventional treatment of large/painful furuncles is incision and drainage with 2 weeks of oral antibiotics. Panton Valentine leukocidin (PVL) is a virulence factor that is acquired by certain strains of S. aureus rendering them difficult to kill by conventional antibiotic treatment regimens. This patient may have acquired his PVL-positive S. aureus whilst travelling in India – travel is a risk factor for acquiring this virulent strain, as are contact sports and keeping pets.
