Measurement of Proinflammatory Cytokines andT-Cell Proliferative Response in Superantigen-Activated

The bacterial superantigens, toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1) and the distantly related staphylococcal enterotoxin A and B (SEA and SEB) are potent stimulators of the immune system and cause a variety of diseases in humans, ranging from food poisoning, autoimmune diseases, and toxic shock (1 ,2 ).