Toxic Shock Syndrome

Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), rare disease associated with strains of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, a common inhabitant of the skin, oral cavity, and vagina. Under certain conditions the bacterium produces a toxin that apparently attacks the immune system through the bloodstream, in turn permitting more toxin to be produced. Liver function is also altered, resulting in liver and kidney damage. Symptoms of TSS include rash, high fever, lowered blood pressure, diarrhea, and vomiting. TSS has caused death in about 3 percent of reported cases. The disease can be treated with antibiotics.

Toxemia

Toxemia, poisoned condition of the blood caused by the presence of toxic materials, usually bacterial but occasionally chemical or hormonal in nature. When bacteria themselves find entrance into the bloodstream, the condition is known as bacteremia. Toxins are not due to absorption of putrefied or fermented foodstuffs, nor are they absorbed from the colon in conditions of constipation.

The term toxemia is also sometimes applied to preeclampsia, a condition that occasionally occurs in late pregnancy and is characterized by high blood pressure and kidney malfunction.

Thrush

Thrush (medicine), fungal infection characterized by creamy-white, curdlike patches on the tongue and other mucosal surfaces of the mouth. The disease is caused by an overgrowth of Candida albicans, a species of yeast that normally inhabits the mucous membranes as a benign saprophyte. Those most susceptible to thrush include adults whose immune systems have been weakened by antibiotics, steroids, or, most commonly, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Infants can become infected during birth if the mother has a vaginal yeast infection.

When the curdlike discharge is removed from patches of thrush, raw and bleeding areas are visible and can be especially painful. If left untreated, these superficial lesions may allow the yeast to spread to other areas of the body. In cases of severe immunosuppression or prolonged antibiotic therapy, the organism can invade the major organs, causing serious complications. Diagnosis requires microscopic identification of the pseudomycelial (branching-arms) forms. Generally, thrush is treated with a topical agent such as miconazole or clotrimazole.

Thiamine

Thiamine, also called vitamin B1, a substance that enables carbohydrates in the body to release the energy required for cellular function, known as metabolism. Thiamine also plays a vital role in the activities of enzymes, proteins that are involved in bodily processes such as digestion. Good sources of thiamine include wheat germ, dry beans, peas, enriched cereals and breads, pasta, nuts, eggs, and most vegetables. Lean pork is one of the best sources of the vitamin, as are organ meats, such as liver.

Thiamine deficiency is a risk for the elderly, for people of all ages who participate in strenuous exercise, and for those who are severely ill. A severe lack of thiamine causes the vitamin-deficiency disease known as beriberi, a neurological and cardiovascular disorder characterized by muscular weakness, swelling of the heart, leg cramps, and, in severe cases, heart failure and death. Thiamine deficiency in severe alcoholics (a result of malnutrition) may lead to a central nervous system condition known as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which can cause paralysis of the eye muscles, extreme memory loss, and dementia.

Tetanus

Tetanus, serious infectious disease of the nervous system, in which a bacterial toxin causes severe muscle spasm. Also called lockjaw, the bacterial infection occurs when wounds are contaminated with a bacillus, Clostridium tetani, which is found everywhere but which is especially likely to be present in street dirt. It is an anaerobic bacillus—that is, one that lives without oxygen, and thus when introduced into human tissue, usually at the time of an injury, it can multiply where the oxygen is deficient. This occurs both in deep, penetrating wounds and in crushing wounds with extensive tissue destruction. As the bacillus multiplies, large amounts of exotoxin are released into the surrounding tissues.

The incubation period varies from two weeks to several months, but generally is about two weeks. The first symptoms are usually headache and depression, followed by difficulty in swallowing and in opening the jaws. Stiffness of the neck develops and gradually a spasm of the cheek muscles sets the face in a peculiar, sardonic grin. Eventually, the spasms spread to other muscles of the body.

Treatment, besides cleaning the wound, involves eliminating the bacilli both surgically and with antibiotics, neutralizing the exotoxin with antitoxin, reducing muscle spasm, and supporting or aiding respiration. A series of three injections is recommended if the tetanus toxoid is combined with both diphtheria and toxoid pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine in the commonly administered DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis) injections. The supplementary booster injections should be given one year after completion of the primary immunization series and every five to ten years thereafter.