Yg. Tsai et al., Primary staphylococcal infection and toxic shock syndrome diagnosed by polymerase chain reaction, J FORMOS ME, 99(12), 2000, pp. 942-944
Primary staphylococcal pneumonia complicated with toxic shock syndrome (TSS
) is relatively uncommon in children. Staphylococcus aureus exotoxins are t
hought to function as superantigens, and seem to promote disease manifestat
ions. The identification of staphylococcal toxin genes by polymerase chain
reaction (PCR) offers a specific and rapid diagnostic method for TSS. We de
scribe a 7-year-old child with TSS resulting from staphylococcal pneumonia.
S. aureus enterotoxins A and B were detected in the sputum of this patient
by PCR.