Toxic shock syndrome toxin
Encyclopedia
Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin (TSST) is a superantigen
with a size of 22KDa produced by somewhere between 5% and 25% of Staphylococcus aureus
isolates. It causes toxic shock syndrome
by stimulating the release of large amounts of interleukin-1, interleukin-2 and tumour necrosis factor. In general, the toxin is not produced by bacteria growing in the blood; rather, it is produced at the local site of an infection, and then enters the blood stream.
Superantigen
Superantigens are a class of antigens which cause non-specific activation of T-cells resulting in oligoclonal T cell activation and massive cytokine release...
with a size of 22KDa produced by somewhere between 5% and 25% of Staphylococcus aureus
Staphylococcus aureus
Staphylococcus aureus is a facultative anaerobic Gram-positive coccal bacterium. It is frequently found as part of the normal skin flora on the skin and nasal passages. It is estimated that 20% of the human population are long-term carriers of S. aureus. S. aureus is the most common species of...
isolates. It causes toxic shock syndrome
Toxic shock syndrome
Toxic shock syndrome is a potentially fatal illness caused by a bacterial toxin. Different bacterial toxins may cause toxic shock syndrome, depending on the situation. The causative bacteria include Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes...
by stimulating the release of large amounts of interleukin-1, interleukin-2 and tumour necrosis factor. In general, the toxin is not produced by bacteria growing in the blood; rather, it is produced at the local site of an infection, and then enters the blood stream.