Background: Several virulence factors have been described in pathogenesis of Staphylococcus aureus strains. Staphylococcal Enterotoxins(SEs) that is one of the most factors, are belonging to important members of bacterial superantigens. Superantigens are defined by their ability to stimulate cytokine release from both T cells and macrophages. 13 different SEs are known that their function is no...

Superantigens (SAgs) are a family of potent immunostimulatory exotoxins known to be produced by only a few bacterial pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus. More than 20 distinct SAgs have been characterized from different S. aureus strains and at least 80% of clinical strains harbor at least one SAg gene, although most strains encode many. SAgs have been classically associated with food po...

have been implicated with streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS). We analyzed 19 acute-phase serum samples for mitogenic activity from patients with severe strepto-coccal disease. The serum samples from two patients in the acute phase of STSS showed strong proliferative activity. Streptococcal mitogenic exotoxin (SME) Z-1 and strep-tococcal pyrogenic exotoxin (SPE)-J were identified in one p...

Matters Arising diagnosed for less than three weeks), and four healthy Retroviral Superantigens and Type 1 adult controls. All subjects were of Caucasoid extrac-Diabetes Mellitus tion. RT-PCRs, with the Conrad et al. (1997) protocol and reagents, generated a band of the expected size (489 bp) for IDDMK 1,2 22 with U3-R-poly(A) primer from In 1994, Conrad et al. reported initial results that rek...

T he exotoxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes are prototype molecules for the larger family of superantigens (SAGs). This family now includes many structurally unrelated molecules of disparate origins reflecting a wide evolutionary convergence towards the common goal of subverting T cell antigen recognition. SAGs bind simultaneously to MHC class II molecules and TC...

Streptococcus pyogenes, also referred to as group A Streptococcus (GAS), is an exclusive human pathogen causing diseases ranging from uncomplicated infections of the throat and skin to severe invasive infections, such as necrotizing fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS). Asymptomatic carriage, particularly in the nasoand oropharyngeal mucosa, is common. GAS is equipped with an...