Katsuhiko Matsui, Soichi Tofukuji and Reiko Ikeda
The present study investigated the effects of lipoteichoic acid (LTA) derived from Staphylococcus aureus on production of the allergen-specific T helper type 2 (Th2) cytokine, interleukin (IL)-5, in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). LTA dose-dependently enhanced the production of allergen-induced IL-5 in PBMCs from patients with AD, but not in those from healthy individuals. Also, when PBMCs from healthy individuals were cultured in a suboptimal concentration of anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody, which alone did not induce IL-5 production, the presence of LTA in the cultures dose-dependently augmented IL-5 production. These results suggest that Th2 cells of AD patients have already been primed by sensitization with various allergens and respond readily to LTA in the presence of an allergen, thus explaining the role of S. aureus colonization in AD patients.