Detection of pyrogenic toxins of Staphylococcus aureus in sudden infant death syndrome

• Published in: FEMS immunology and medical microbiology Vol. 25; no. 1-2; pp. 103 - 108
• Main Authors: Zorgani, Abdulaziz, Essery, Stephen D., Al Madani, Osama, Bentley, Alastair J., James, Valerie S., MacKenzie, Doris A.C., Keeling, Jean W., Rambaud, Caroline, Hilton, John, Blackwell, C. Caroline, Weir, Donald M., Busuttil, Anthony
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.08.1999; Blackwell; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Babies; Bacterial Toxins; Biological and medical sciences; Body fluids; Brain - microbiology; Child; Emergency and intensive care: neonates and children. Prematurity. Sudden death; Enterotoxins - analysis; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Fatalities; Flow Cytometry; Formaldehyde; Freezing; Humans; Incidence; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infants; Intensive care medicine; Kidney - microbiology; Medical sciences; Septic shock; SIDS; Spleen - microbiology; Staphylococcal enterotoxin F; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus aureus - isolation & purification; Sudden Infant Death - etiology; Sudden infant death syndrome; Superantigens; Tissue Fixation; Tissues; Toxic shock syndrome; Toxic shock syndrome toxin; Toxins; Sudden infant death syndrome; Flow cytometry; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Toxic shock syndrome toxin; Human; Pathogenesis; Sudden death; Infant; Toxic shock syndrome; Immunological method; Infection; Toxin; Risk factor; Bacteriosis; Bacteria; Micrococcales; Micrococcaceae; Diagnosis; Staphylococcal infection; Detection; ELISA assay; Staphylococcus aureus
• ISSN: 0928-8244; 1574-695X; 2049-632X
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-695X.1999.tb01332.x

Abstract It has been suggested that pyrogenic toxins of Staphylococcus aureus are involved in the series of events leading to some cases of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The objectives of the study were to screen tissues from SIDS infants for pyrogenic toxins and to compare incidence of identification of these toxins among these infants from different countries. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a flow cytometry method were used to screen body fluids and frozen or formalin-fixed tissues for pyrogenic toxins of S. aureus, toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST), staphylococcal enterotoxins A (SEA), B (SEB), and C1 (SEC). Toxins were identified in tissues of 33/62 (53%) SIDS infants from three different countries: Scotland (10/19, 56%); France (7/13, 55%); Australia (16/30, 53%). In the Australian series, toxins were identified in only 3/19 (16%) non-SIDS deaths (χ2=5.42, P<0.02). The flow cytometry method was useful for toxin detection in both frozen and fixed tissues, but ELISA was suitable only for frozen tissues or those fixed for less than 12 months. Identification of pyrogenic toxins in >50% of SIDS infants from three different countries indicated further investigation into the role the toxins play in cot deaths might result in development of additional measures to reduce further the incidence of these infant deaths.