Change of specific T cells in an emerging neonatal infectious disease induced by a bacterial superantigen.
A new epidemic, NTED, has recently occurred in Japan. The cause of NTED is a bacterial superantigen, TSST-1. The aim of the present study was to analyze the change in Vbeta2(+) T cells reactive to TSST-1 in NTED in order to establish T-cell-targeted diagnostic criteria for NTED. Blood samples from 75 patients with clinically diagnosed NTED were collected from 13 neonatal intensive care units throughout Japan. We investigated the percentages of Vbeta2(+), Vbeta3(+) and Vbeta12(+) T cells and their CD45RO expressions in the samples using flow cytometry. In 18 of the 75 patients, we conducted multiple examinations of the T cells and monitored serial changes. The Vbeta2(+) T-cell population rapidly changed over three phases of the disease. Whereas the percentage of Vbeta2(+) T cells was widely distributed over the entire control range, CD45RO expression on Vbeta2(+) T cells in CD4(+) in all 75 patients was consistently higher than the control range. Patients cannot necessarily be diagnosed as having NTED based on expansion of Vbeta2(+) T cells alone in the early acute phase. Instead, CD45RO expression on specific Vbeta2(+) cells is a potential diagnostic marker for a rapid diagnosis of NTED. We present three diagnostic categories of NTED. Fifty patients (66.7%) were included in the category 'definitive NTED'. It is important to demonstrate an increase of Vbeta2(+) T cells in the following phase in cases of 'probable NTED' or 'possible NTED'.
Takahashi
Naoto
N
Department of Pediatrics, Jichi Medical University School of Medicine, 3311-1 Yakushiji, Shimotsuke City, Tochigi, Japan. naoto-t@jichi.ac.jp
Kato
Hidehito
H
Imanishi
Ken'ichi
K
Ohki
Takehiro
T
Uehara
Ritei
R
Momoi
Mariko Y
MY
Nishida
Hiroshi
H
Uchiyama
Takehiko
T
D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D018089:Superantigens / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D018089:Superantigens; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens; C516769:PTPRC protein, human