Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome

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Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome
Classification and external resources
ICD-10 L00.
ICD-9 695.81
DiseasesDB 29437
eMedicine derm/402  emerg/782
MeSH D013206

Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome, SSSS, also known as Pemphigus neonatorum or Ritter's disease, is a dermatological condition caused by Staphylococcus aureus.

[edit] Pathophysiology

The syndrome is induced by 2 epidermolytic exotoxins A and B, which are released by S. aureus and cause detachment within the the epidermal layer. One of the exotoxins is produced by the bacterial chromosome, while the other is produced by a plasmid. (Bacterial plasmids are pieces of self-replicating DNA that often code for secondary characteristics, such as antibiotic resistance, and toxin production.) These exotoxins are proteases that cleave desmoglein-1, which normally holds the granulosum and spinosum layers together.

[edit] Symptoms

The disease presents with the widespread formation of fluid filled blisters that are thin walled and easily ruptured. Ritter's Disease of the Newborn is the most severe form of SSSS with similar signs and symptoms.