Antibodies to highly conserved peptide sequence of staphylococcal and streptococcal superantigens in Kawasaki disease

• Published in: Experimental and molecular pathology 2004-04, Vol.76 (2), p.117-121
• Main Authors: Gupta-Malhotra, Monesha, Viteri-Jackson, Anne, Thomas, William, Zabriskie, John B
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Blotting, Western; Child; Child, Preschool; Enterotoxins - immunology; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Humans; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Infant; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Kawasaki disease; Medical sciences; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome - blood; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome - immunology; Pathology. Cytology. Biochemistry. Spectrometry. Miscellaneous investigative techniques; Peptide Fragments - immunology; Sarcoidosis. Granulomatous diseases of unproved etiology. Connective tissue diseases. Elastic tissue diseases. Vasculitis; Staphylococcal enterotoxins; Staphylococcus - immunology; Streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxins; Streptococcus - immunology; Superantigen; Superantigens - immunology
• ISSN: 0014-4800; 1096-0945
• DOI: 10.1016/j.yexmp.2003.12.003

Superantigen-mediated disease such as toxic shock syndrome is seen in patients who have a weak antibody response to the antigen toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1). We hypothesized that there may be deficiency in antibody production to staphylococcal and streptococcal toxins in Kawasaki disease (KD) children. A peptide was constructed from the homologous portion of the staphylococcal enterotoxins (SE) and streptococcal pyrogenic enterotoxins (SPE), and antibodies to the peptide were made. The anti-peptide antibody immunoblotted several of the SE toxins and SPE toxins. Presence of the peptide antibodies was investigated via ELISA in the sera of acute KD ( n = 30), convalescent KD ( n = 12), control adults ( n = 10), and children ( n = 19). The mean anti-peptide antibodies were indistinguishable between control children and KD before treatment with immunoglobulin ( P = 0.7) but rose significantly after therapy ( P < 0.01). The adults had significantly higher antibodies than the KD, both acute and late ( P < 0.0001) and the control children ( P < 0.0001). Thus, KD patients do not have a defective serological response against toxins such as SPE/SE/TSST-1. Normal children have significantly lower antitoxin antibody levels to the toxins compared to the adults.