Relative strength of the mitogenic and interleukin-2-production-inducing activities of staphylococcal exotoxins presumed to be causative exotoxins of toxic shock syndrome: toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 and enterotoxins A, B and C to murine and human T cells.
Several observations suggest that staphylococcal enterotoxins A, B and C (SEA, SEB and SEC, respectively), in addition to toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1), are causative exotoxins of toxic shock syndrome (TSS). Based on the view that polyclonal T cell activation with the causative exotoxins, resulting in over-production of lymphokines, is involved in the development of the pathological changes observed in TSS, we investigated the activities of these four exotoxins to induce proliferation and interleukin 2 production in murine and human lymphocytes by using in vitro culture systems. The results showed that all these exotoxins are strong polyclonal inducers of proliferation and interleukin 2 production in human T cells, whereas TSST-1 and SEA are strong and SEB and SEC are weak polyclonal inducers in murine T cells. These results suggest that SEA, SEB and SEC, in addition to TSST-1, are possibly involved as causative exotoxins in the development of the pathological changes observed in TSS.
Uchiyama
T
T
Department of Microbiology, Tokyo Women's Medical College, Japan.
Kamagata
Y
Y
Yan
X J
XJ
Kawachi
A
A
Fujikawa
H
H
Igarashi
H
H
Okubo
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007700:Kinetics; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000276:immunology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*
D004768:Enterotoxins; D007376:Interleukin-2