Akademik

Toxic shock syndrome

A grave condition occurring predominantly in menstruating women using tampons, toxic shock is characterized by a highly toxic state (with sudden high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle aching) followed by low blood pressure (hypotension) which can lead to shock (and death). There may be a rash resembling sunburn with peeling of skin. The Channing Laboratory in Boston under Dr. Edw. Kass discovered that toxic shock was due to a toxin produced by Staph (Staphylococcus) aureus bacteria growing under conditions with little or no oxygen. The syndrome occurs rarely in women not using tampons and in men.

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toxic shock syndrome n an acute and sometimes fatal disease that is characterized by fever, nausea, diarrhea, diffuse erythema, and shock, that is associated esp. with the presence of a bacterium of the genus Staphylococcus (S. aureus), and that occurs esp. in menstruating females using tampons called also toxic shock

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a severe illness caused by a bacterial infection, characterized by high fever of sudden onset, vomiting, diarrhea, and myalgia, followed by hypotension and, in severe cases, shock. A sunburnlike rash with peeling of the skin, especially of the palms and soles, occurs during the acute phase. It was originally observed almost exclusively in menstruating women using tampons, with the infective agent being Staphylococcus aureus, but a nearly identical syndrome has subsequently been seen in males and females of different ages infected with group A streptococcus.

Medical dictionary. 2011.