HUMAN PROINFLAMMATORY AND ANTIINFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE PATTERNS INDUCED BY STREPTOCOCCUS-PYOGENES ERYTHROGENIC (PYROGENIC) EXOTOXIN-A AND EXOTOXIN-C SUPERANTIGENS

The superantigenic streptococcal erythrogenic toxins A and C (ETA/SPEA and ETC/SPEC) elicit the production by human peripheral blood mononuc lear cells of substantial amounts of Th1-derived cytokines (inter leuk in-2 [IL-2] and gamma interferon) as well as anti-inflammatory cytokin es (IL-10 and IL-1 receptor antagonist). In contrast, very low levels of IL-4 and no alpha interferon were induced. The production of these cytokines after stimulation with Streptococcus pyogenes heat-killed ba cteria and lipopolysaccharide from gram-negative bacteria differed qua litatively and quantitatively from that elicited by the superantigens.