Soluble CD30 serum antigen in Kawasaki disease

Abstract

Very high levels of sCD30, a glycoprotein surface antigen expressed by T lymphocytes and other mononuclear cells of the immune system, were found in serum samples from 10 children with typical Kawasaki disease (KD), but not in blood specimens from a vast cohort of paediatric control subjects. These data strongly support an involvement of CD30 T cells in the immune processes which take place at the level of lymphoid organs during the acute phase of KD.