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

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.