Transient low T cell response to streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin-C in patients with Kawasaki disease.
Superantigens (SAs) are known to induce transient anergy followed by T cell activation. Recent reports have suggested that SAs are involved in the pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease (KD). In the present study, we investigated the peripheral T cell response to SAs by measuring proliferation and IL-2 production to determine whether the T cell anergy is induced by SAs in patients with KD. T cells were obtained from 45 Japanese patients with KD in different stages of the disease and were stimulated by streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin (SPE)-A, SPE-C, and toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1). T cells from patients with KD in the acute or convalescent stage up to 2 mo showed significantly lower proliferation and IL-2 production than did T cells from healthy control subjects stimulated by SPE-C, but not SPE-A or TSST-1. The T cell response to SPE-C normalized within 1 y. The low T cell response to SPE-C in the acute stage correlated with a peak platelet count and the C-reactive protein-positive period. These findings suggest that the transient low T cell response to SPE-C in patients with KD may have been related to SA-induced anergy or disappearance of SPE-C-responding cells from the circulation. The present results suggested that SPE-C may be involved in the pathogenesis of KD.
Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima City, Sakuragaoka, Japan.
K
K
Masuda
S
S
Takei
Y
Y
Nomura
H
H
Imanaka
K
K
Sameshima
M
M
Yoshinaga
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D003289:Convalescence; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D009080:Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012016:Reference Values; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus; D018089:Superantigens / Q000494:pharmacology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; D007376:Interleukin-2; D018089:Superantigens; C030107:enterotoxin F, Staphylococcal; C026066:enterotoxin A, Staphylococcal; C034959:enterotoxin C, staphylococcal