Abstract

Kawasaki Syndrome (KS) is an acute febrile vasculitis of infancy and early childhood that can result in permanent coronary artery damage (aneurysms, stenosis, and ectasia) in 20% of patients. The etiology of this disease is currently unknown although there is general agreement that an infectious agent is responsible. Attention has recently been given to the T and B cell abnormalities characteristic of KS patients during the acute phase of their illness. By analogy to known viral diseases (EBV, HTLV I and HTLV III), it has been postulated that infection with a lymphotropic virus with affinity for endothelial and lymphoid cells might explain the vasculitis and immunologic abnormalities associated with KS. It is the purpose of this research proposal to examine the possibility that a lymphotropic virus may be present in the peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of patients with KS. Culture supernatants of PBL will be screened for reverse transcriptase and DNA polymerase activity by standard techniques. The polymerase activity will be characterized with respect to divalent cation, template, and primer specificity. Co-cultivation with different continuous T cell lines will be attempted. Immunofluorescence, electron microscopy, and DNA cloning and hybridization techniques will also be applied to this project.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Clinical Investigator Award (CIA) (K08)
Project #
5K08HL001855-02
Application #
3082259
Study Section
(SRC)
Project Start
1986-09-01
Project End
1991-08-31
Budget Start
1987-09-01
Budget End
1988-08-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1987
Total Cost
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
Children's Hospital Boston
Department
Type
DUNS #
076593722
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02115

  Publications

Burns, J C; Wright, J D; Newburger, J W et al. (1995) Conjunctival biopsy in patients with Kawasaki disease. Pediatr Pathol Lab Med 15:547-53
Lin, S; Gaiano, N; Culp, P et al. (1994) Integration and germ-line transmission of a pseudotyped retroviral vector in zebrafish. Science 265:666-9
Yee, J K; Friedmann, T; Burns, J C (1994) Generation of high-titer pseudotyped retroviral vectors with very broad host range. Methods Cell Biol 43 Pt A:99-112
Burns, J C; Friedmann, T; Driever, W et al. (1993) Vesicular stomatitis virus G glycoprotein pseudotyped retroviral vectors: concentration to very high titer and efficient gene transfer into mammalian and nonmammalian cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 90:8033-7
Finberg, R W; Newburger, J W; Mikati, M A et al. (1992) Effect of high doses of intravenously administered immune globulin on natural killer cell activity in peripheral blood. J Pediatr 120:376-80
Fildes, N; Burns, J C; Newburger, J W et al. (1992) The HLA class II region and susceptibility to Kawasaki disease. Tissue Antigens 39:99-101
Burns, J C; Felsburg, P J; Wilson, H et al. (1991) Canine pain syndrome is a model for the study of Kawasaki disease. Perspect Biol Med 35:68-73
Koren, G; Silverman, E; Sundel, R et al. (1991) Decreased protein binding of salicylates in Kawasaki disease. J Pediatr 118:456-9
Burns, J C; Mason, W H; Glode, M P et al. (1991) Clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of patients referred for evaluation of possible Kawasaki disease. United States Multicenter Kawasaki Disease Study Group. J Pediatr 118:680-6
Burns, J C; Huang, A S; Newburger, J W et al. (1990) Characterization of the polymerase activity associated with cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with Kawasaki disease. Pediatr Res 27:109-12

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