[MRSA infection and toxic shock syndrome in burn patients].

In burn patients, MRSA was detected in the wound from the early stage to the wound closure stage. It is after the middle stage that sepsis by MRSA occurs. In comparison with Gram-negative bacilli, MRSA caused fewer sudden deaths, except for complications of toxic shock syndrome (TSS); MRSA was not considered to have a significant effect. The presence of a path of invasion into the blood other than the wound was suspected. Investigation of 35 Staphylococcus aureus sepsis patients (25 infected with MRSA) revealed that diagnosis is difficult when severe TSS occurs as a complication in sepsis. No correlation was found between toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 production by the bacterium detected and the onset of TSS. These findings suggest strong dependency upon the action of another toxin or endotoxin produced by Staphylococcus aureus and upon the immune condition of the host.