Role of Staphylococcus aureus in Atopic Dermatitis

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic relapsing. itchy inflammatory condition of the skin usually associated with other allergic diseases such as asthma and hay fever. Following the initial occurrence of AD several factors such as environmental allergens, colonization with Staphylococcus aureus and allergen specific T cell responses are though, to aggravate the disease. The bacteria skin flora of patients wit h atopic dermatitis is strikingly different from that in healthy people in terms of the presence of Staphylococcus aureus. An altered epidermal barrier; increased bacterial adhesion, defective bacterial clearance and defective cutaneous innate immune response are among various factors contributing to this high bacterial colonization inAD Staphylococcus aureus strains with ability to secrete Staphylococcal enterotoxins A - D and the toxic shock syndrome toxin - 1 have been isolated from the skin of up to 65% of AD patients who are colonized with this microorganism. These toxins aggravate the disease by cellular activation to produce cytokines.