Open AccessStimulation of rat spleen cells by staphylococcal enterotoxins
Author(s) -
Holbrook M.R.,
Young K.E.,
Gibbon L.G.,
Webster C.A.,
Tranter H.S.,
Arbuthnott J.P.,
Todd I.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
fems immunology & medical microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1574-695X
pISSN - 0928-8244
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-695x.1993.tb00396.x
Subject(s) - spleen , biology , stimulation , enterotoxin , microbiology and biotechnology , staphylococcal infections , immunology , staphylococcus aureus , bacteria , endocrinology , genetics , escherichia coli , gene
There is much interest in staphylococcal enterotoxins as T cell mitogens in humans, mice and rabbits. Rat spleen cells were shown to proliferate in response to staphylococcal enterotoxins A and B and toxic shock syndrome toxin‐1 at concentrations (5 to 500 ng ml −1 ) which also stimulate mouse spleen cells. The proliferative response to all these enterotoxins was inhibitted by cyclosporin A, indicating the response to be predominantly that of T cells. These results indicate that the rat provides another convenient model for the analysis of T cell responses to enterotoxins.