Toxic shock syndrome caused by Staphylococcus is due to:

Ans: B (Super antigens) Ref: Ananthnarayan R, Paniker CKJ. Textbook of Microbiology. 8th Edition. Hyderabad: Universities Press; 2009. Pg. 198-9.Explanation:Microbial super antigens such as Streptococcal protein A and Staphylococcal enterotoxin can stimulate the broad range T & B cells irrespective of their antigenic specificity.Toxic Shock SyndromeTSST is the cause of toxic shock syndrome (TSS). TSST is a superantigen.Superantigens stimulate T cells non- specifically without normal antigenic recognitionUp to one in five T cells be activated, whereas only 1 in 10,000 are stimulated during a usual antigen presentation.Cytokines are released in large amounts, causing the symptoms of TSS.Superantigens bind directly to class II major histocompatibility complexes of antigen-presenting cells outside the conventional antigen-binding grove.