Chemotaxis in cutaneous disease

Sweet's syndrome

Sweet's syndrome (acute neutrophilic dermatosis) is characterized by fever; polymorphonuclear neutrophilic leukocytosis; elevated ESR; and characteristic, raised, painful red plaques on the face and limbs. Since Sweet first described the syndrome in 1964, more than 150 cases have been reported, but it is assumed that the disorder is far more common than this number would indicate.

Chronic blepharitis and pyoderma of the scalp: an immune deficiency state in a father and son with hypercupremia and decreased intracellular killing

An immune deficiency state is proposed as the cause of a disorder affecting a father and son with chronic dermatitis, purulent blepharitis with corneal ulceration, and scarring pyodermatous alopecia of the scalp. The results of immunologic investigation revealed abnormal neutrophil function with a variable decrease in intracellular killing, decreased lymphocyte transformation, increased serum IgG and IgE, and elevated serum copper levels. These findings will be compared with previously described immune deficiency disorders.

Is chemotactic activity of polymorphonuclear leukocytes increased in psoriasis?

Chemotactic activity of PMNs of 44 patients with common psoriasis and 20 healthy individuals was studied by modified Boyden chamber assay and casein as a chemoattractant. The patients were classified according to the activity of the disease, extent of skin lesions, and duration of the disease and of the last relapse. There was a high statistically significant increase in chemotactic response of the PMNs of psoriatics as compared with controls. The increase in chemotactic activity correlated positively with the activity of the disease but not with the extent of skin lesions. Very low values in some patients with longlasting and/or extensive lesions could depend upon the presence of inhibitory factors in plasma. The possible explanation for divergent results obtained by other authors could be due to the fact that various clinical parameters were not taken into account.

Increased chemotactic activity of neutrophil leukocytes in psoriasis

The random and active migration of neutrophil leukocytes in agarose was studied in sixty-one patients with psoriasis and in healthy controls. E. coli filtrate was used as chemoattractant. The random as well as the active migration was increased in psoriasis. The increase was most pronounced in those cases with widespread psoriasis. In twenty patients who were followed for 1-3 years, the neutrophil chemotactic activity remained essentially unchanged.