LAUSR

This study, carried out by a group from the Netherlands and Switzerland, explored the relationship between production of the antibody type known as IgG against components of the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus by patients with atopic eczema. This bacterium is frequently found on the skin of children and adults with atopic eczema and has been associated with worsening of the condition, largely through stimulation of the immune system or by causing an allergic response to the bacteria themselves. In this investigation the investigators looked for the presence of antibodies of the IgG class against different components of the bacteria in patients with atopic eczema and then compared this with the severity of the disease. They found that antibodies against products of the bacteria, sometimes known as virulence factors, that are involved in reducing normal immune responses are associated with increasing severity of the disease. An example of a bacterial product that reduces immunity in this study is a protein that causes destruction of human white blood cells. This suggests that these immunity‐reducing components may also be factors that aggravate eczema by allowing the organisms to survive longer on the skin surface and it provides another explanation as to why the bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, on eczematous skin should be reduced in number or removed completely.