Innate immune responses following Kawasaki disease and toxic shock syndrome

PLoS One. 2018 Feb 15;13(2):e0191830. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191830. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

The pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease (KD) remains unknown and there is accumulating evidence for the importance of the innate immune system in initiating and mediating the host inflammatory response. We compared innate immune responses in KD and toxic shock syndrome (TSS) participants more than two years after their acute illness with control participants to investigate differences in their immune phenotype. Toxic shock syndrome shares many clinical features with KD; by including both disease groups we endeavoured to explore changes in innate immune responses following acute inflammatory illnesses more broadly. We measured the in vitro production of interferon (IFN)-γ, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), and IL-10 following whole blood stimulation with toll-like receptor and inflammasome ligands in 52 KD, 20 TSS, and 53 control participants in a case-control study. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, and unstimulated cytokine concentrations. Compared to controls, KD participants have reduced IL-1ra production in response to stimulation with double stranded RNA (geometric mean ratio (GMR) 0.37, 95% CI 0.15, 0.89, p = 0.03) and increased IL-6 production in response to incubation with Lyovec™ (GMR 5.48, 95% CI 1.77, 16.98, p = 0.004). Compared to controls, TSS participants have increased IFN-γ production in response to peptidoglycan (GMR 4.07, 95% CI 1.82, 9.11, p = 0.001), increased IL-1β production to lipopolysaccharide (GMR 1.64, 95% CI 1.13, 2.38, p = 0.01) and peptidoglycan (GMR 1.61, 95% CI 1.11, 2.33, p = 0.01), and increased IL-6 production to peptidoglycan (GMR 1.45, 95% CI 1.10, 1.92, p = 0.01). Years following the acute illness, individuals with previous KD or TSS exhibit a pro-inflammatory innate immune phenotype suggesting a possible underlying immunological susceptibility or innate immune memory.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Child
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Innate*
  • Inflammasomes / metabolism
  • Male
  • Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome / immunology*
  • Shock, Septic / immunology*
  • Toll-Like Receptors / metabolism
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Inflammasomes
  • Toll-Like Receptors

Grants and funding

KYHC holds an Australian Government Research Training Program scholarship from The University of Melbourne and a Postgraduate Health Research Scholarship from Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. DB holds a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Senior Research Fellowship (APP1064629) and an honorary National Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship (100369). NC is an investigator on NHMRC project grant 1064408. Research at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute is supported by the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Program. The Heart Research Group is supported by The RCH1000, The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation and Big W. The authors also wish to thank Jam and Jelly Foundation for their financial support for this research. These entities had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, and approval of the manuscript; or decision to submit the manuscript for publication.