Colonization rates and typing of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from the nose and eczematous skin of patients with atopic dermatitis and their correlation with the severity of the eczema

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis is a genetically determined skin disorder profoundly influenced by external environmental factors and characterized by erythema , dryness and severe pruritus . Chronic scratching and rubbing lead to lichenification typically in the flexures of the elbows and knees. The disorder is frequently associated with elevated immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels The disease arises during early infancy , childhood , or adolescence . Diagnosis is based on a combination of clinical and historic parameters , such as morphologic skin lesions , chronic relapsing course , pruritus " which is a hallmark " , and a personal and I or family history ofatopy . The pathogenesis of AD is still unknown , but the disease seems to be the result of genetic susceptibility , immune dysfunction and epidermal barrier dysfunction . It has been demonstrated that S. aureus colonization plays a role in the pathogenesis of AD . They are capable of producing a group of toxins called superantigens which are strong modulators of the immune system affecting T-cells , antigen presenting cells (APCs) and other MHC class II bearing cells.