Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome , SSSS, also known as Pemphigus neonatorum or Ritter's disease, or Localized bullous impetigo is a dermatological condition caused by Staphylococcus aureus . Pathophysiology The syndrome is induced by epidermolytic exotoxins ( exfoliatin A andB), which are released by S. aureus and cause detachment within the epidermal layer; by breaking down the desmosomes . One of the exotoxins is encoded on the bacterial chromosome, while the other is encoded on a plasmid . These exotoxins are proteases that cleave desmoglein-1, which normally holds the granulosum and spinosum layers together.