Toxic Shock Syndrome
Answer: b
• Acute life-threatening illness caused by production of staphylococcal exotoxin (toxic shock syndrome toxin-1, TSST-1)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria: 6 required for confirmation; 5 of 6 indicate a probable case
• Associations: menstruation with prolonged use of tampons, surgery (even if wound is not worrisome), barrier contraceptives
• With early and aggressive management and judicious use of antibiotics and supportive care, the mortality rate for toxic shock syndrome has been estimated at 3%. The use of corticosteroids (to lessen the overwhelming inflammatory response) and immunoglobulins remains controversial