[Kawasaki disease and infection].

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute multisystemic vasculitis. Although some infectious agents are highly suspected the etiology of KD remains unknown. Various bacteria such as, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis have been implicated in etiology of KD. However, modern molecular techniques failed to identify the positive relation between these agents and etiology of KD. Recently, one hypothesis suggests that superantigens (TSS-1, SEB, SEC, SPEB, SPEC), which are produced by streptococci and staphylococci, play an important role in the cause of KD. Although several studies show that superantigens, mainly bacterial toxins and viral antigens, are involved in causing some diseases, there is no obvious evidence that superantigens are able to induce KD. Host-derived factor as well as infectious agents should be investigated to understand the immunopathogenesis of KD.