Can Serum UL16 Binding Protein 3 Tell Us More about Tinea Capitis?

The most frequent pediatric dermatophyte infection globally is tinea capitis (TC). Hair follicles have a variety of immunological defense mechanisms to stop infections from entering it. Natural-killer group 2, member D receptor ligands include unique long binding protein 3 (ULBP3) has a significant impact on the regulation of immunological reactions that are innate and adaptive.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the serum level of ULBP3 in patients with TC, its clinical significance, relation to types of dermatophytes, disease severity, and pathogenesis.

There were 60 TC patients and 30 normal subjects in this case-control study. A culture of hair samples was done on Sabouraud dextrose agar with cycloheximide to know the type of dermatophyte, and the serum level of ULBP3 was done using ELIZA.

TC patients reported substantially higher plasma ULBP3 concentrations than healthy controls (P < 0.001). ULBP3 showed a clear overall difference between organisms (P = 0.001). It was noticeably greater in Trichophyton verrucosum compared to other organisms. A substantial positive correlation between the Clinical Severity Score and the ULBP3 was observed (r = 0.434 and P = 0.001).

Serum ULBP3 might be involved in TC pathogenesis. Moreover, ULBP3 serum level could be considered a standalone risk predictor for TC susceptibility, activity, and severity.