Staphylococcal scalded-skin syndrome complicating wound infection in a preterm infant with postoperative chylothorax

The course of infection in a 3-week-old premature newborn suffering from extensive dermatitis with flaccid blisters is described. Staphylococcus aureus was recovered from a local wound infection around a chest tube inserted to drain a postoperative chylothorax. The strain isolated tested positive for the eta gene for exfoliative toxin A, the causative agent of staphylococcal scalded-skin syndrome (SSSS). In this case, prematurity and loss of chylus with consecutive lymphopenia may have contributed to development of SSSS.