Published in:
01-04-2015 | Short Communication
Exfoliative toxin A staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome in preterm infants
Authors:
Ken Saida, Kenji Kawasaki, Kanae Hirabayashi, Yohei Akazawa, Seiko Kubota, Eriko Kasuga, Mai Kusakari, Takefumi Ishida, Masatomo Kitamura, Atsushi Baba, Kenichi Koike
Published in:
European Journal of Pediatrics
|
Issue 4/2015
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Abstract
Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSSS) demonstrates dermal symptoms due to exfoliative toxin (ET) A or ETB produced by Staphylococcus aureus. We examined the association between anti-ETA antibodies and SSSS onset in neonates. Three preterm infants carried an ETA-producing strain of S. aureus, manifesting as either SSSS or bullous impetigo; a full-term infant carrying the same strain was asymptomatic. The infants (n=106) were categorized into three groups according to their gestational age (GA) as follows: <30 weeks, 30–37 weeks, and >37 weeks. The measured levels of anti-ETA antibody in the three infants displaying SSSS were low before the onset of dermal symptoms; only the asymptomatic full-term infant displayed a high antibody level. Anti-ETA antibody levels in the preterm group with a GA of <30 weeks were statistically lower than those in the term infant group; the prevalences of anti-ETA antibodies above a cutoff value in the three groups of neonates were 55 % (18/33) among preterm infants with a GA <30 weeks, 73 % (25/34) among those with a GA of 30–37 weeks, and 90 % (35/39) among infants with a GA >37 weeks. Conclusion: The presence of anti-ETA antibodies below a particular cutoff level might be associated with SSSS onset in preterm infants.