Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome - a life-threatening condition caused by various streptococcal species

Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) is an acute, life-threatening condition which presents as a rapid onset shock and multiorgan failure (multiorgan dysfunction syndrome, MODS). This communication summarizes the existing body of evidence and presents three case reports. In two patients, STSS was caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes and in one patient, Streptococcus dysgalactiae was identified as the causative agent. STSS cases caused by other streptococcal species have been reported less often in the literature. A number of articles and manuals (including the CDC definition from 2010) even continue to state that STSS can only be caused by group A streptococci (S. pyogenes) [1]. To our knowledge, the case report presented of STSS caused by another streptococcal species is the first report in the Czech literature.