Q30
Single choice
A 55-year-old male with a history of poorly controlled diabetes mellitus develops a necrotizing fasciitis of his left lower extremity following a minor abrasion sustained while gardening. Initialcultures of the wound reveal a polymicrobial flora, including Gram-positive cocci in chains and Gram-negative bacilli. Over the next 48 hours, despite broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, the patient's condition deteriorates, and new bullae with hemorrhagic fluid appear. Gram stain of this fluid now predominantly shows large, Gram-positive bacilli with subterminal spores.
Which of the following virulence factors is MOST likely contributing to the rapid tissue destruction observed in this patient?