Toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) production in staphylococcal infections and serological implications with patients and healthy controls.

TSST-1 production occurred in 4.6% among Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from divergent clinical sources in South-West Hungary. Patients suffering from staphylococcal infections, whether or not harbouring TSST-1 positive strains, exhibited low anti TSST-1 titres in their acute phase sera compared to the healthy control population. A S. aureus strain isolated from toxic shock syndrome (TSS) was a high collagen binder and a low fibronectin and fibrinogen binder suggesting the role of connective tissue adhesion in colonization and low invasive property of TSS strains.