title: IgE-reactivity to seven Malassezia species.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Malassezia yeasts play a role in the pathogenesis of atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome (AEDS). The revised genus Malassezia includes several species which all are natural habitants of the human skin. In this study, we evaluated the presence of immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies to different Malassezia spp. in AEDS patients to allow optimization of the characterization of the IgE antibody profile of IgE-associated AEDS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-six adult patients, with a clinical diagnosis of AEDS, were included in the study. Seventeen of the patients had IgE antibodies to M. sympodialis, ATCC 42132 (m70 ImmunoCAP, Pharmacia, Diagnostic AB, Uppsala, Sweden). The IgE antibodies to seven Malassezia spp. were measured and inhibition immunoblotting was performed to investigate whether M. sympodialis contains all the allergen components present in the other Malassezia spp.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty per cent of 79 AEDS patients with a negative m70 ImmunoCAP test had IgE antibodies to at least one of the other six Malassezia spp. tested. Our inhibition studies indicated that Malassezia spp. to a great extent, share allergenic determinants. However, Malassezia species also contained species-specific allergens.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of only one species of Malassezia is not sufficient to detect all patients IgE sensitized to Malassezia. To obtain an optimal allergen preparation both common allergenic components as well as species-specific allergens have to be considered.
authors.affiliation: Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Stockholm Branch, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zargari
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Midgley
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bäck
authors.forename: S G O
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scheynius
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000908:Antibodies, Fungal / Q000097:blood*; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood*; D008290:Malassezia / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000908:Antibodies, Fungal; D007073:Immunoglobulin E