Recognition of Streptococcus pyogenes and skin autoantigens in guttate psoriasis

Abstract

Background: Guttate psoriasis is associated with infections by Streptococcus pyogenes and cross-reactions between skin and streptococcal antigens have been reported, suggesting an autoimmune component in the disease.

Methods: In this work, the authors looked for antibodies against S. pyogenes M-5 antigens by immunoblot in 52 sera of psoriasis patients and in 52 sera of normal individuals. Histological and immunohistochemical analysis in skin biopsies from lesions of another group of 16 clinically diagnosed guttate psoriasis patients and four healthy controls were also carried out.

Results: All guttate psoriasis patients studied (11) had IgG antibodies that intensively recognized three different proteins of 70, 60 and 14 kDa, as compared to sera from patients with other forms of psoriasis or from healthy controls. The diagnosis of psoriasis was confirmed in 14 of the patients by hematoxylineosin staining. Of the other two patients, one was diagnosed as parapsoriasis and the other as liquen. By indirect immunofluorescence (IFI), all 14 psoriatic patients had autoantibodies against their own lesional skin that did not recognize normal skin from control subjects or from the two non-psoriatic patients. The parapsoriatic and the liquen patients did not have autoantibodies. A rabbit immune serum against S. pyogenes antigens reacted with lesional skin from the 14 guttate psoriatic patients, but not with normal skin from controls or with lesional skin from the 2 non-psoriatic patients.

Conclusions: The recognition by immunoblot of streptococcal antigens by serum of guttate psoriasis patients, the presence of autoantibodies against their own skin, and recognition of the same skin antigens by anti-streptococcal rabbit antibodies confirm the participation of the immune system and of streptococcal infections in guttate psoriasis.