Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

The Scalded-Skin Syndrome: Relation to Phage-Group II Staphylococci

1972; Oxford University Press; Volume: 125; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1093/infdis/125.5.548

1537-6613

A S Dajani,

Streptococcal Infections and Treatments

Twelve patients with the scalded-skin syndrome were studied; 11 of them were infected with staphylococci of phage group II. Conjunctivitis was a common finding in these patients; however, impetigo was infrequent. The relation of phagetype 71 staphylococcal bacteriocin to the toxin responsible for the scalded-skin syndrome was investigated. Representative strains of all phage types in group II (3A, 3C, 55, and 71) produced an experimental disease in newborn mice that closely resembled the human disease, but only strains of phage type 71 were capable of producing the bacteriocin. Furthermore, purified bacteriocin failed to produce disease in the animal model. This study extends previous reports about the pathogenic role of phage-group II staphylococci in the scalded-skin syndrome and depicts the many unique features of this group of organisms.