PRODUCTION OF INTERLEUKIN-1 BUT NOT TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR BY HUMAN-MONOCYTES STIMULATED WITH PNEUMOCOCCAL CELL-SURFACE COMPONENTS

Abstract

While there is considerable evidence that both interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) are central mediators of inflammation caused by gram-negative bacteria and endotoxin, the roles of these two mediators in gram-positive infection are unknown. Pneumococcal infections are characterized by an intense inflammatory reaction in infected tissues. Current evidence suggests that the component of the pneumococcus which causes this inflammation in many body sites is the cell wall. We determined the ability of native pneumococcal cell wall, lipoteichoic acid, and cell wall subcomponents to stimulate secretion of IL-1 and TNF from human monocytes. Each pneumococcal cell surface component ..