Studies
have explored whether this high level of immune activation
could be associated with endothelial damage. Leung et al
have demonstrated that IgM antibodies in the sera of children
with acute Kawasaki disease cause complementmediated
killing of gamma interferon-treated cultured
human vascular endothelial cells. In addition, IgG and IgM
antibodies in acute sera have been reported to cause lysis of
cultured human vascular endothelial cells stimulated with
interleukin (IL)-1 or tumor necrosis factor (TNF)