Toxic shock syndrome caused by hospital-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a patient with pancytopenia.

Toxic shock syndrome is an uncommon condition in patients with neutropenia. We describe a 44-year-old man who developed toxic shock syndrome caused by hospitalacquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus while pancytopenic after chemotherapy. He died of multiorgan failure despite high-level intensive care support and treatment with appropriate antibiotics and intravenous immunoglobulin. This case illustrates the need for a high index of suspicion for toxic shock syndrome in patients with febrile neutropenia, and also highlights the lack of highquality evidence for the various treatment modalities used in this syndrome.