Persistence of Zinc-Binding Bacterial Superantigens at the Surface of Antigen-Presenting Cells Contributes to the Extreme Potency of These Superantigens as T-Cell Activators

Bacterial superantigen intoxication causes massive overactivation of T cells, which can result in potentially lethal toxic shock. Superantigens fall into two groups: superantigens such as staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) that contain a single generic binding site for major histocompatibility co…