Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome in two immunocompetent adults caused by exfoliatin B-producing Staphylococcus aureus
Year: 1988
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: An exfoliatin B-producing strain of Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from two adults with typical staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSSS). One patient developed desquamation after a local staphylococcal infection of the hand, and the other developed exfoliation after nosocomially acquired staphylococcal endocarditis. Neither patient was immunocompromised, had evidence of renal insufficiency, or manifested other potential risk factors for SSSS. Purified toxin, isolated from the causative organisms, produced a Nikolsky sign in neonatal mice. The toxins were shown to be exfoliatin B by biochemical and immunologic methods and heretofore had been described only in children with SSSS. Analysis of plasmid DNAs from both strains revealed a 23-megadalton plasmid with identical restriction endonuclease digestion fragments. One isolate belonged to phage group II (3B/3C/6/7/47/54/55), whereas the other isolate belonged to phage groups I and III (7/29/52/52A/53/54/80). The observation that a non-phage group II exfoliatin-producing strain of S. aureus may produce SSSS in adults indicates the need to better define the diagnostic criteria for SSSS. Immunocompetent adults may remain susceptible to some strains of exfoliatin B-producing S. aureus.
Source: Journal of Clinical Microbiology
Authors: S M Opal, A D Johnson-Winegar, A S Cross
Institution: Brown University
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1894660099