Imagine a rare and life-threatening complication of a simple bacterium, causing many terrible symptoms. You may have bleeding, bruising, diarrhea and more, and it may all look like another food. However, with a simple culture that reveals a certain type of bacteria, you might be looking at something much more serious. Toxic shock syndrome fittingly earns the name “syndrome” in the title since the syndrome refers to “an illness that causes a variety of disorders” (1). As mentioned above, toxic shock syndrome does just that. It may present with common symptoms, but a culture will reveal much more. Specifically, a culture will reveal the disturbing bacteria none other than Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogens. Both of these bacteria cause the so-called toxic shock syndrome, with the only difference being the initial symptoms. Toxic shock syndrome has been documented to have been first recorded by the Greek physician Hippocrates who lived around 460-377 BC (1). However, toxic shock syndrome was called into question and remained a mystery for hundreds of years afterward. Toxic shock syndrome was thought to be “an obscure disease limited to a particular population of people in whom the disease appeared predictably” (1). In the 1900s, toxic shock syndrome became a disease associated with trauma. This trauma may have been caused by car accidents, industrial accidents, or even war wounds, but no one person has been able to fully understand it. Every year, toxic shock syndrome affects _____. Features Whenever someone hears the phrase "toxic shock syndrome," they think of tampons. Most people associate this syndrome with tampons because tampon boxes clearly warn of toxic shock syndrome as a possible condition that can result in… middle of paper… and grow rapidly. Second, invasions help bacteria spread into host tissues. An invasion is a protein that acts locally to damage host cells to facilitate the growth and spread of the pathogen. More simply, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogens have a small army of invasins that attack the host very quickly and spread the bacteria far into the blood and organs. Another virulence factor of both Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogens is their cellular secretion. Secretions include antigens, enzymes, and toxins that assist in various functions necessary to nourish bacteria and fend off host immune defenses. Symptoms of the disease The symptoms of toxic shock syndrome vary from case to case. Furthermore, the symptoms also vary depending on whether the toxic shock was caused by Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogens.