[A new exanthematous disease in newborn infants caused by exotoxins producing Staphylococcus aureus; exotoxins production of the isolates and serum levels of antitoxin antibody in the patients and umbilical cord blood].
Recently, in Japan newly neonatal exanthematous disease was elucidated to be caused by staphyloccocal supcrantigcnic exotoxins, mainly TSST-1. We studied exotoxins producibility of 43 strains of S. aureus isolated from neonates with exanthematous disease and examined antibody titers to staphylococcal enterotoxin A, B, C (SEA, SEB, SEC) and toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1) of the patients and control (umbilical cord blood from term infants). The results were as follows 1.34 of 43 strains (79%) isolated from the patients were SEC and TSST-1 producing MRSA, 5 strains (12%) were SEB, SEC, and TSST-1 producing MRSA, 1 strain (2%) was SEB and TSST-1 producing MRSA, 2 strains (12%) were SEB producing MSSA and did not produce TSST-1. The 1 strain (2%) was MSSA which produced SEC and TSST-1. 2. 16 neonates with exanthematous disease, who showed typical clinical signs and laboratry findings of thrombocytopenia, with SEC and TSST-1 producing MRSA isolates had significantly low anti-TSST-1 antibody titers at onset (p < 0.05), compared with the control (umbilical cord blood from term infants): TSST-1 appeared to the causative agent for the disease. In two neonates with exanthematous disease, with SEB- and non- TSST-1-producing MSSA isolates, anti-SEB antibody titers were low at onset, so SEB appeared to the causative agent for the disease. 3. In Japan, low anti-TSST-1 antibody titers were found in the umbilical blood samples from about 70% of term infants; and low anti-SEB or anti-SEC antibody titers were found in samples from only about 10% of them, that is, a number of term infants had anti-SEB and anti-SEC antibodies. The majority of S. aureus isolated from neonates with exanthematous disease were enterotoxin- and TSST-1-producing MRSAs. The results of our study by measuring antitoxin antibody titers suggested that SEB and SEC might not be pathogenically responsible, but TSST-1 was considered to be responsible for the majority of exanthematous disease. Prevalence of TSST-1-producing MRSA in the neonatal and premature baby ward is the main cause for the high incidence of this disease in Japan, whereas the low antibody titer to TSST-1 in the mother, in comparison with the anti-enterotoxin antibody titers, may also be a predisposing factor.
Okada
T
T
Division of Pediatrics, National Kagawa Children's Hospital.
Furukawa
S
S
Miwa
K
K
Sakai
R
R
Sugiyama
J
J
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000276:immunology*; D005076:Exanthema / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000276:immunology*; D018089:Superantigens / Q000276:immunology*
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; D018089:Superantigens; C030107:enterotoxin F, Staphylococcal