Superantigen-induced T cell responses in acute rheumatic fever and chronic rheumatic heart disease patients

CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from healthy donors, acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and chronic rheumatic heart disease (CRHD) patients responded variably to a superantigen from Streptococcus pyogenes--Streptococcal pyrogenic erythrogenic toxin A (SPE-A). In vitro culture of CD4+ T cells from ARF patients (CD4-ARF) with SPE-A exhibited a Th1 type of response as they produced high levels of IL-2, while CD4+ T cells from CRHD patients (CD4-RHD) secreted IL-4 and IL-10 in large amounts, i.e. Th2 type of cytokine profile. The skewing of human CD4+ T cells (in response to SPE-A stimulation) to Th1 or Th2 type reflects the role of the two subsets in a disorder with differing intensities at the two extremes of the spectrum. Moreover, the anergy induction experiments revealed that CD8-ARF and CD8-RHD undergo anergy (to different extents), whereas CD4+ T cells do not, in response to re-stimulation by SPE-A. These results initially demonstrate that both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells respond differentially to SPE-A, and hence it is an important observation with respect to the pathogenesis of ARF/CRHD. Anergy in CD8+ T cells in the presence of SPE-A in vitro goes a step further to show the clinical relevance of these cells and their possible role in suppression of the disease.