[Skin tests with Pityrosporum ovale extract in atopic dermatitis]

The etiology of atopic dermatitis is multifactorial. Immediate-type sensitivity to the lipophilic yeast, Pityrosporum ovale, may be important, especially in a subgroup of patients with dermatitis predominantly in the head and neck region. 100 patients with atopic dermatitis were investigated by means of skin prick tests, including Pityrosporum ovale extract. Positive tests were found more often in atopic patients with "head and neck"-dermatitis, but the correlation between a positive prick test to Pityrosporum and the severity of atopic dermatitis, estimated by means of clinical criteria and total IgE, was even higher.