Detection of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 among children undergoing surgical operations

الملخص EN

Background : Toxic-shock syndrome (TSS) is an acute onset; multiorgan disease caused mainly by Toxic-shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) producing Staphylococcus aureus strains.Testing for TSST-1 or anti-TSST-1 antibodies in the clinical setting may help to predict and prevent the appearance of TSS caused by nosocomial S.

aureus infection.

Objectives : Detection of TSST-1 in the sera of children patients arranged to undergo surgical operations, and its relevance with certain demographic factors.

Patients and methods : This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Baquba General Teaching Hospital- Diyala province for the period from August 2015 to April 2016.

Eighty eight patients from those undergoing surgical operations were enrolled.

The age range was 1-14 years.

Thirty one (35.2%) were males and fifty seven (64.8%) were females.

Human privacy was respected by taking patient’s consensus.

Venous blood samples were collected aseptically; the sera were separated and kept frozen till use.

Serum samples were investigated for the presence of TSST-1 using ELISA technique.

Statistical analyses were done using SPSS version 18.

P value less than 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: The results showed that the overall detection rate of TSST-1 among children undergoing surgeries was 44.3%.

It was insignificantly higher among younger age group, females, and ruralizes.

According to the type of surgery, the detection rate was higher among those patients with fractures (10.2%), followed by patients with burns (9.1%), but it failed to reach the levels of statistical significant.

Conclusion : About one half of children patients undergoing surgical operations are infected with TSST-1 producing S.

aureus.