Enterotoxin B is the predominant toxin involved in staphylococcal scarlet fever in Taiwan.
This study retrospectively reviewed all pediatric cases of staphylococcal scarlet fever (SSF) that occurred during a 10-year period in a 1400-bed tertiary medical center in northern Taiwan. All 20 cases of SSF occurred in previously healthy individuals. Skin and soft-tissue infections predominated among children from whom Staphylococcus aureus was isolated. Polymerase chain reaction testing was used to detect known staphylococcal toxin genes, and of the isolates studied, most (18 [90%] of 20) contained only the staphylococcal enterotoxin B. One of the other strains was positive for staphylococcal enterotoxin A only, and the last strain was positive for both staphylococcal enterotoxin G and staphylococcal enterotoxin I. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis identified a small cluster of isolates (6 [30%] of 20) that were genetically related, but these strains came from epidemiologically unrelated patients during a 3-year period.
Wang
Chih-Chien
CC
Department of Pediatrics, Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. ndmcccw@yahoo.com.tw
Lo
Wen-Tsung
WT
Hsu
Chen-Fang
CF
Chu
Mong-Ling
ML
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012541:Scarlet Fever / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018089:Superantigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism
D004768:Enterotoxins; D018089:Superantigens; C419397:enterotoxin G, staphylococcal; C031818:enterotoxin B, staphylococcal