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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Isolation and Identification of Extravascular Immune Cells of the Heart
Published on: August 23, 2018
Do cardiomyocytes mount an immune response to Group A Streptococcus?
Zhi Li1, Amy E Bryant, Stephanie M Hamilton
1Infectious Diseases Section, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Boise, ID 83702, USA. Zhi.Li@va.gov
Abstract:
Some patients with Group A Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (StrepTSS) develop a unique form of cardiomyopathy characterized by global hypokinesia and reduced cardiac index. Here we investigated the immune responses of cardiomyocytes to Group A Streptococcus both in vivo and in vitro. Our data demonstrate that cardiomyocyte-derived cytokines are produced following both direct GAS stimulation and after exposure to GAS-activated inflammatory cells. These locally produced, cardiomyocyte-derived cytokines may mediate cardiac contractile dysfunction observed in patients with StrepTSS-associated cardiomyopathy and may hold the key to our ability to attenuate this severe complication.
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