Question 15 - Single Best Answer
Could shock have occurred in this case if the S. aureus had been a non-TSST-1 producing strain?
A) no
Sorry...OK, this is tricky. The production of TSST-1 enables some strains of S. aureus to cause shock from a localized infection (systemically active toxin). However, S. aureus is a leading cause of sepsis, and this does not require the production of TSST-1. If there is a systemic infection with S. aureus, the systemic inflammatory response to the systemic infection can cause sepsis, too. So, in this patient, if the S. aureus strain was TSST-1 negative and if the bacteria escaped the abscess and caused bacteremia, they could have caused shock. The main thing to note is that S. aureus does not have to produce TSST-1 to cause shock as long as there is a systemic infection.