Staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome

Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) is a severe acute disease characterized by high fever, hypotension, rash, multiple organ dysfunction and desquamation during convalescence. TSS is caused by toxin-producing strains of Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes. TSS remains a rare but severe disease. Early diagnosis is important because specific treatments with antitoxin effects must be started as soon as possible. This manuscript presents a set of images that illustrate the main findings in the peripheral blood film of a patient with TSS.