Individuals With Atopic Dermatitis More Likely to Have Antibody Response to S Aureus Superantigens

An immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody response to Staphylococcus aureus superantigens is more common among individuals with atopic dermatitis than healthy controls, according to a study recently published in the British Journal of Dermatology.

The study included 2369 individuals sourced from 26 articles, 10 of which were controlled studies. All studies were original assessments of serum antistaphylococcal antibodies in individuals with atopic dermatitis and included both observational and experimental studies.

Compared with controls, individuals with atopic dermatitis were more likely to show an IgE response against staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE)A (odds ratio [OR] 8.37; 95% CI, 2.93- 23.92) and SEB (OR 9.34; 95% CI, 3.54-24.93). Antistaphylococcal IgE had a 35% prevalence with SEB, 33% with SEA, and 16% for toxic shock syndrome toxin-1, although the studies’ imprecision, heterogeneity, and limited data on IgM, IgG, IgA, and other antigens should be considered in the results.

Limitations included fair to poor quality of selected studies, which was evaluated with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The random-effects model was utilized to calculate ORs and prevalences of IgM, IgG, IgA, and IgE response to S aureus among individuals with atopic dermatitis in comparison with healthy controls. Heterogeneity was assessed via 12 statistics.

The study researchers concluded that “[patients] with [atopic dermatitis] more often show an IgE antibody response directed against S aureus superantigens than healthy controls, supporting a role for S aureus in [atopic dermatitis] pathogenesis.”

Disclosure: This study was funded by Micreos Human Health, the Netherlands.

Reference

de Wit J, Totté JEE, van Buchem FJM, Pasmans SGMA. The prevalence of antibody responses against Staphylococcus aureus antigens in patients with atopic dermatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Dermatol. 2018;178(6):1263-1271.