Tag: lethal toxic shock

Every adaptive immune response requires costimulation through the B7/CD28 axis, with CD28 on Tcells functioning as principal costimulatory receptor. Staphylococcal and streptococcal superantigen toxins hyperstimulate the T-cell-mediated immune response by orders of magnitude, inducing a lethal cytokine storm. Superantigens are among the most stable proteins known: They resist heat...

Acute toxic shock is induced by superantigen toxins, a diverse set of proteins secreted by Grampositive staphylococcal and streptococcal bacterial strains that overstimulate the inflammatory response by orders of magnitude. The need to protect from superantigen toxins led to our discovery that in addition to the well-known MHC class...