From this composite picture of the history and recent developments related to TSS, several points are clear. TSS is not a new disease, and TST-producing strains of S. aureus are not new. What is new is the recent dramatic increase of this disease in young women who use tampons during menses and who lack antibody to TST. What is also new is the recognition that the disease commonly recurs but only in menstrually associated cases. What remains to be determined are the precise role of tampons, the factors leading to toxin induction, and the mechanism of action of this potent toxin. In order to better determine what these factors and mechanism of action are, and to determine if the TST marker protein is in fact the critical toxin, a reliable animal model is badly needed. Finally, a reliable laboratory test to confirm the clinical diagnosis is another high-priority need. The further unraveling of the secrets of this complex disease may greatly enhance our understanding of the disease associated with this toxin, of the intricacies of toxin production by other bacteria, and of the role that exogenous cofactors play in disease processes.

No abstract

The occurrence of multiple false-positive viral ELISAs among blood donors was associated with influenza vaccination, but was infrequent among vaccinees. This phenomenon is of short duration for HIV and HTLV-1, but may persist longer for HCV. We recommend influenza vaccinees not be deferred from blood donation. Blood donors with multiple false-positive viral ELISAs should be considered for future reentry as blood donors.

OBJECTIVES. Nationwide, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) seroprevalence surveys using dried neonatal blood specimens are critical to estimating HIV-1 seroprevalence among childbearing women. However, the noninclusion of blood specimens deemed "quantity not sufficient" (QNS) for HIV-1 antibody testing potentially introduces bias. In Wisconsin beginning in 1990, we modified the survey protocol to reduce QNS rates and assess bias introduced by QNS specimens. METHODS. The HIV-1 antibody assay was modified to use four 1/8-in blood spots when a single 1/4-in blood spot could not be obtained. Both methods obtain identical blood volumes for testing. RESULTS. During a 27-month period, 7396 (4.8%) of 154,683 specimens were deemed QNS using 1/4-in blood spots. Of these, 6590 (89%) were of sufficient quantity to be tested using four 1/8-in blood spots; 6 (0.09%) specimens tested with 1/8-in blood spots were HIV-1 Western blot assay positive compared with 44 (0.03%) of 147,287 1/4-in specimens (odds ratio = 3.0; 95% confidence interval = 1.2, 7.4). CONCLUSIONS. Because noninclusion of QNS specimens potentially introduces bias, incorporating the results of HIV-1 antibody testing of QNS specimens using four 1/8-in blood spots can improve the accuracy of HIV-1 seroprevalence estimates in these serologic surveys.

No abstract