Open AccessT‐cell response to superantigen restimulation during menstrual toxic shock syndrome
Author(s) -
Rasigade JeanPhilippe,
Thomas Damien,
Perpoint Thomas,
Peyramond Dominique,
Chidiac Christian,
Etienne Jerome,
Vandenesch François,
Lina Gerard,
Ferry Tristan
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
fems immunology & medical microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1574-695X
pISSN - 0928-8244
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-695x.2011.00808.x
Subject(s) - superantigen , toxic shock syndrome , immunology , t cell , ex vivo , enterotoxin , biology , t cell receptor , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , staphylococcus aureus , immune system , in vivo , escherichia coli , bacteria , biochemistry , genetics , gene
Menstrual toxic shock syndrome (MTSS) is a severe toxin‐mediated disease associated with Staphylococcus aureus producing toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST‐1), a superantigen that mediates a potent activation of Vβ‐2 T cells. In animal models, superantigen treatment of responsive T cells induces their initial proliferation, followed by unresponsiveness upon further superantigen stimulation. To determine whether T cell unresponsiveness occurs in humans during the acute phase of MTSS, we collected T cells from a patient with MTSS and restimulated them ex vivo with recombinant TSST‐1. The expansion of T cells collected during the acute phase of disease was compared with positive controls including basal‐state T cells (collected 70 days after MTSS) restimulated with TSST‐1, and T cells stimulated with enterotoxin B superantigen. We found that TSST‐1‐induced expansion of acute phase T cells was not inferior to that observed in positive controls. We conclude that T cells were still reactive to TSST‐1 during the acute phase of MTSS in this patient. As the persistence of TSST‐1 production could thus be associated with further expansion of TSST‐1‐reactive T cells and a rapid worsening of symptoms, this study adds further support to the need for immediate eradication of the focus of infection as soon as MTSS is suspected.