SummaryIn developing countries, one-third of patients with reactive arthritis (ReA) and undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy (uSpA) are triggered by Salmonella typhimurium. Synovial fluid mononuclear cells (SFMCs) of patients with ReA and uSpA proliferate to low molecular weight fractions (lmwf) of outer membrane proteins (Omp) of S. typhimurium. To characterize further the immunity of Omp of Salmonella, cellular immune response to two recombinant proteins of lmwf, OmpA and OmpD of S. typhimurium (rOmpA/D-sal) was assessed in 30 patients with ReA/uSpA. Using flow cytometry, 17 of 30 patients' SF CD81 T cells showed significant intracellular interferon (IFN)-g to Omp crude lysate of S. typhimurium. Of these 17, 11 showed significantly more CD8rOmpA-sal, whereas only four showed reactivity to rOmpD-sal. The mean stimulation index was significantly greater in rOmpA-sal than rOmpD-sal [3Á0 (1Á5-6Á5) versus 1Á5 (1Á0-2Á75), P < 0Á005]. Similarly, using enzymelinked immunospot (ELISPOT) in these 17 patients, the mean spots of IFN-g-producing SFMCs were significantly greater in rOmpA-sal than rOmpD-sal [44Á9 (3Á5-130Á7) versus 19Á25 (6-41), P < 0Á05]. SFMCs stimulated by rOmpA-sal produced significantly more proinflammatory cytokines than rOmpD-sal: IFN-g [1Á44 (0Á39-20Á42) versus 0Á72 (0Á048-9Á15) ng/ml, P < 0Á05], interleukin (IL)217 [28Á60 (6Á15-510Á86) versus 11Á84 (6Á83-252Á62) pg/ml, P < 0Á05], IL-23 [70Á19 (15-1161Á16) versus 28Á25 (> 15-241Á52) pg/ml, P < 0Á05] and IL-6 [59Á78 (2Á03-273Á36) versus 10Á17 (0Á004-190Á19) ng/ml, P < 0Á05]. The rOmpA-sal-specific CD8 1 T cell response correlated with duration of current synovitis (r 5 0Á53, P < 0Á05). Thus, OmpA of S. typhimurium is a target of SF CD8 1 T cells and drives SFMC to produce increased cytokines of the IL-17/IL-23 axis which contribute to the pathogenesis of Salmonella-triggered ReA.