Toxic shock syndromes in Australia and New Zealand 1990-1994

Abstract

Following a request for information from the Victorian Minister for Health, two surveys were undertaken to identify cases of ‘toxic shock syndrome’. Case definitions of toxic shock syndrome (TSS) and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) are presented, and the problems inherent in the identification of these syndromes are discussed. A telephone survey identified 12 Victorian cases for 1994. A mailout questionnaire requesting minimal line data for cases that occurred in 1990 to 1994 (with a response rate of 34%) identified 20 cases for this period in Australia and New Zealand. These cases occurred in 11 males and nine females, with an age range of 12 to 82 years. Of these, nine were apparently due to Staphylococcus aureus (and thus were classified as TSS) and nine were due to Streptococcus pyogenes (and were classified as STSS). Of the nine cases of TSS, six were female, five of whom were menstruating at the time of admission to hospital. Support is provided for the addition of TSS and STSS to appropriate registers to improve the identification of cases and thus the local and national epidemiology of these rare illnesses.