A 48-year old man has had nasal surgery and absorbent material has been inserted into his nasal cavity to control bleeding.Several hours ago he began to complain of a headache and has since developed a red rash over much of his body and is experiencing muscle cramps and diarrhea.His blood pressure has dropped to 75/50 mg Hg.This patient's illness is most likely caused by

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The symptoms of headache, red rash, muscle cramps, diarrhea, and low blood pressure suggest toxic shock syndrome (TSS), which is most commonly caused by the production of toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST-1) by Staphylococcus aureus. The insertion of absorbent material into the nasal cavity during surgery provides an opportunity for S. aureus to enter and colonize the nasal cavity, leading to the production of TSST-1 and subsequent TSS symptoms. While streptolysin O and erythrogenic toxin are also produced by bacteria and can cause similar symptoms, they are not associated with TSS. Exfoliative toxin is produced by S. aureus but causes a specific skin condition called staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome and is not associated with TSS.

A 48-Year Old Man Has Had Nasal Surgery and Absorbent