Atopic dermatitis severity tied to IgG response to S. aureus

(HealthDay)—Atopic dermatitis (AD) disease severity is associated with immunoglobulin G (IgG) responses against Staphylococcus aureus antigens, according to a study published online Nov. 30 in the British Journal of Dermatology.

Joan E.E. Totté, M.D., from the Erasmus MC University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, and colleagues profiled IgG antibodies against 55 S. aureus antigens in sera of 207 children with mild-to-severe AD from two separate cohorts.

The researchers found that in the first cohort, 16 antigens were associated with Self Administrated-Eczema Area and Severity Index (SA-EASI) and 12 antigens were associated with thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) in serum (10 overlapping antigens; P values from 0.001 to 0.044). In the second cohort, IgG levels against only four S. aureus antigens were associated with SA-EASI and one with TARC, although there was no overlap.

"In young children, severity of AD is associated with an IgG response directed against S. aureus antigens with mainly immune-modulatory functions," the authors write. "These findings encourage further evaluation of the role of S. aureus in AD pathogenesis."

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