Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome pathophysiology

The syndrome is induced by epidermolytic exotoxins (exfoliatin)^[1] A and B, which are released by S. aureus and cause detachment within the epidermal layer; by breaking down tight-junctions. One of the exotoxins is produced by the bacterial chromosome, while the other is produced by a plasmid. (Bacterial plasmids are pieces of self-replicating DNA that often code for secondary characteristics, such as antibiotic resistance, and toxin production.) These exotoxins are proteases that cleave desmoglein-1, which normally holds the granulosum and spinosum layers together.

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