Persistent bactericidal defect in neutrophils from a young woman who recovered from toxic shock syndrome.

We have previously found transient menstruation-associated abnormalities in the in vitro bactericidal function of neutrophils from females who have recovered from toxic shock syndrome (TSS). We now report the case of a young woman who has also recovered from TSS, but who has a persistent, non-menstruation-associated defect in the ability of her neutrophils to kill Staphylococcus aureus in vitro.