IgE antibodies to Staphylococcus aureus. Prevalence in patients with atopic dermatitis

Abstract

The prevalence of IgE antibodies to Staphylococcus aureus was determined by optimized immunoradiometric assay methods in serum specimens from 69 patients with atopic dermatitis. All patients had positive aerobic cultures for S. aureus from skin. Significant binding attributable to IgE antibodies was noted in 3 of 25 patients with atopic dermatitis and superimposed impetiginization or pustules, but antibodies were not detected in the remaining 44 patients whose lesions were colonized with S. aureus. By comparison, IgE antibodies to S. aureus were uniformly present in high titer in serum samples from patients with the hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome. Most patients with atopic dermatitis do not have detectable levels of IgE antibodies to S. aureus.