MRSA Notes

On our forums at MRSA Resources we had a question – What does Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) have to do with Staph?

My best answer was that TSS is the name of what happens to your body when it is poisoned by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria – which is essentially correct, but I thought we needed some more information, so here goes.

From the CDC:

Toxic shock syndrome (TSS), which can be life threatening, is defined by clinical and laboratory evidence of fever, rash, desquamation, hypotension, and multiple organ failure caused by Staphylococcus aureus toxins. TSS caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains has been found extensively in Japan (1), rarely in the United States (2), and, thus far, not in Europe. We report a case of TSS due to an MRSA strain that produced a TSS toxin 1 (TSST-1).

KidsHealth.org needs to update their information a little, I think, but here is a little of what they say about TSS:

There are actually two different types of this condition. Toxic shock syndrome, which is caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, has been associated with the use of tampons. (TSS was initially linked to a particular brand of tampons, which have since been taken off the market.) Although the exact connection is still not clear, researchers suspect that certain types of high-absorbency tampons provided a moist, warm home where the bacteria could thrive.

This is the best and most up to date reference I have found, from the New Zealand Dermatological Society, Inc:

Toxic shock syndrome is caused by the release of exotoxins from toxigenic strains of the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. Toxin-producing strains of Staphylococcus aureus causing toxic shock syndrome was first formally described in 1978. Prior to this time the syndrome was known as staphylococcal scarlet fever. Both menstrual and non-menstrual forms of toxic shock syndrome are caused by these toxins, which release massive amounts of cytokines (cell-mediator chemicals) that produce fever, rash, low blood pressure, tissue injury and shock. Strains of Staphylococcus aureus, producing toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1), cause almost all of the cases of menstrual toxic shock syndrome. Non-menstrual toxic shock syndrome are caused by strains producing either TSST-1 or staphylococcal enterotoxin B or C.

So you can see, TSS is the result of toxins produced by bacterial infections – either Staphylococcal or Streptococcal.

The reference book pictured above is available at Amazon.com.

Education, MRSA, Staphylococcus aureus, Toxic Shock Syndrome, TSS

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