It is a common cause of food poisoning, with severe diarrhea, nausea and intestinal cramping often starting within a few hours of ingestion.
[1] Gastroenteritis occurs because SEB is a superantigen, causing the immune system to release a large amount of cytokines that lead to significant inflammation.
[3] One of the major virulence exotoxins is the toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST), which is secreted by the organism upon successful invasion.
TSST is a multisystem illness with several symptoms such as high fever, hypotension, dizziness, rash and peeling skin.
Each superantigen possesses slightly different binding mode(s) when it interacts with MHC class II molecules or the T-cell receptor.