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Limited secondary bacterial infection of the skin is the most common complication of varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection. However, serious infections during or after chickenpox have been on the rise. These authors from the United Kingdom report on 13 children who presented with sepsis related to chickenpox infection over a one-year period.
Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from blood or other sites in seven patients, group A streptococcus in four, Escherichia coli in one, and pseudomonas in one. Six children presented with toxic shock syndrome, and enterotoxin-producing S. aureus was isolated from the blood of three of them. Two patients had lymphadenitis and one had necrotizing fasciitis. Four of the patients had developed sepsis within…