Skin colonization of Staphylococcus aureus harboring superantigen toxin genes and its correlation with serum IL-22 level in psoriasis patients

The Egyptian Journal of Immunology
Volume 29 (4), October, 2022
Pages: 94–105.
www.Ejimmunology.org
https://doi.org/10.55133/eji.290409
Nancy Fouad1, Fatma Mostafa1, Marwa Soltan2, Ali Zaki1 and Rania A. Hassan1

 

1Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
2Department of Dermatology & Andrology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

Corresponding author: Nancy Fouad, Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Email: nancyfouad@med.asu.edu.eg.

Abstract

Psoriasis is a chronic debilitating skin disease with an estimated prevalence reaching 2% of the worldwide population. Psoriatic disease is driven by the interactions among innate and adaptive immune systems with structural components of the skin. Interleukin (IL)-22 mediates keratinocyte proliferation and epidermal hyperplasia, and changes in the structure of skin flora can play a role in the secretion of IL-22. The aim of this study was to correlate serum levels of IL-22 and Staphylococcus aureus toxins with disease activity in plaque psoriasis. The study group included 50 patients with mild, moderate, and severe psoriasis. The control group comprised 20 sex- and age-matched apparently healthy volunteers. IL-22 concentration was assessed in sera of patients and the control group by using the ELISA technique. The serum levels of IL-22 in patients were higher than in the control group, but the difference was statistically insignificant (P=0.413). Serum IL-22 levels were positively correlated with the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score of psoriasis patients (P=0.0003). The IL-22 serum levels in patients colonized with toxigenic strains of S. aureus were significantly higher than in patients colonized with non-toxigenic strains (P= 0.028). In conclusion, IL-22 plays a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, and its secretion can be triggered by the toxins produced by S. aureus colonizing the skin of patients.

Keywords: Immune system, IL-22, Psoriasis, S. aureus, Superantigen.

Date received: 30 July 2022; accepted: 25 August 2022

PMID: 36198107

 

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