If a lab reports an isolate from a non-sterile site culture, how can I tell whether the patient has toxic shock syndrome (STSS)?
In Ontario surveillance to date, 95% of patients with STSS either died within 48 hours of admission to hospital, or were admitted to the ICU. If the patient meets neither of these criteria, it is safe to assume that they do not have STSS, and if they don’t meet any of the other criteria for clinical severity listed above, you do not need to report the case to the Public Health Department. The detailed criteria for toxic shock syndrome can be viewed in the Ontario Ministry of Health guidelines for management of contacts of cases of invasive GAS.
