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Published on: September 5, 2013
THE IMMUNOLOGICAL SPECIFICITY OF STAPHYLOCOCCI : IV. CUTANEOUS REACTIONS TO THE TYPE-SPECIFIC CARBOHYDRATES
1Oscar Johnson Institute and Children's Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis.
The Journal of Experimental Medicine
|October 30, 2009
Summary
Skin reactions to Staphylococcus type A carbohydrate are common in adults and children with infections, but rare for type B. Skin reactivity doesn't correlate with serum precipitins, which appear in severe infections.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Microbiology
- Dermatology
Background:
- Staphylococcus infections present a significant health challenge.
- Understanding host immune responses, including skin reactivity to bacterial components, is crucial for diagnosis and treatment.
- Type-specific carbohydrates of Staphylococcus are potential antigens for immune studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate skin reactions to type-specific carbohydrates of Staphylococcus.
- To correlate skin reactivity with the presence of serum precipitins.
- To determine the prevalence of these reactions in normal individuals and patients with Staphylococcus infection.
Main Methods:
- Skin testing with type-specific carbohydrates of Staphylococcus (Types A and B).
- Assessing skin reactions in normal infants, children, and adults.
- Evaluating skin reactivity in patients diagnosed with Staphylococcus infection.
- Measuring serum precipitins in study participants.
Main Results:
- Cutaneous sensitivity to Staphylococcus type B carbohydrate is rare or nonexistent.
- Skin reactions to type A carbohydrate occur in 12% of children and 65-70% of adults.
- These reactions are regular in patients with Staphylococcus infection.
- Skin reactivity is not consistently associated with serum precipitins; precipitins are found in <30% of patients, typically those with severe infections.
Conclusions:
- Staphylococcus type A carbohydrate elicits skin reactions in a significant portion of the population, particularly adults, and is a marker for infection.
- The absence of correlation between skin reactivity and serum precipitins suggests distinct immune pathways.
- Severe Staphylococcus infections are associated with the development of type-specific precipitins.
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