J Vet Sci. 2005 Sep;6(3):247-250   
 

Immunosuppression by T regulatory cells in cows infected with Staphylococcal superantigen

Byoung Sun Chang1,6, Gregory A. Bohach2, Sang Un Lee3, William C. Davis4, Lawrence K. Fox5, Witold A. Ferens2, Keun Seok Seo2, Hye Cheong Koo6, Nam Hoon Kwon6, Yong Ho Park 6*

 

1Animal Health Research, LG Life Sciences Ltd., Daejeon 305-380, Korea.
2 Department of Microbiology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA.
3Department of Immunology, The Scripps Research Institute, IMM-32, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
4Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology and. 5Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.
6 Department of Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Korea.yhp@snu.ac.kr.

 

Our recent study has provided that the in vitro SEC-induced proliferation of bovine T cells is preceded by a period of a non-proliferative immunoregulation of T cells that may be associated with cytokine production regulated by type 1 or type 2 T cells. Inversion of CD4+:CD8+T cell ratio and induction of CD8+T cells with immunoregulatory activity could increase the probability of intracellular survival of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus ). The increase of activated CD8 +(ACT2+ BoCD8+ )T cells in cows with mastitis caused by S. aureus may be associated with immune-regulatory function in the bovine mammary gland. The difference and similarity between bovine activated CD8+T cells (CD8+ CD26+)and well-established human CD4+ CD25+ T regulatory (Tr)cells may help to reveal their unique immune regulatory system in the host infected with S. aureus.