[Cavitated pneumonia and toxic shock syndrome: presentation of a case]

Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a potentially fatal acute disease preferentially affecting menstruating women and is related to the use of vaginal tampons seems to be due to an specific exotoxin produced by some Staphylococcus aureus strains. We present here the case of a male patients suffering cavitated pneumonia who developed a systemic clinical picture comparable to TSS. This unusual form of presentation is discussed as well as the diagnostic criteria which define this entity.