Recurrent staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome in children: report of two cases.

A localised "scalded skin syndrome" occurred in two male siblings aged five and ten years old, in Morogoro, Tanzania. This condition recurred in the same children within a period of about 12 months. A haemolytic ampicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from the bullous material, suggesting that the condition was staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSSS). This implies that the bacterial isolate was an exfoliative toxin (ET) producing S. aureus. This infection was, however, striking because SSSS occurs mostly in newborns, and it is rarely recurrent. It is possible that a new strain with particular adaptability, or an inherent susceptibility to the S. aureus of the affected children was the cause of this recurrency.