title: Psoriasis and Staphylococcus aureus skin colonization in Moroccan patients.
abstract: Psoriatic lesions are rarely complicated by recurrent infections. The aim of our study is to determine skin colonisation and nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in patients with psoriasis and in healthy persons.
  
  
  METHODS
  a comparative study that include 33 patients with psoriasis and 33 healthy persons. Samples were taken from lesional and non lesional psoriatic skin and from healthy skin of control group. For S. aureus nasal carriage, we used sterile cotton tipped swabs. Out of 165 samples (66 skin samples and 33 nasal swabs), 26 S. Aureus strains were isolated in 26 persons, 57.69% in the control group and 42.3% in the psoriasis group. S. aureus skin colonization was found in one case (3%) in lesional psoriatic skin vs 9 cases (27.3%) in control skin OR=0.08 IC 95% (0.01-0.70) p=0.02 and in 12,1% in non lesional psoriatic skin vs 27, 3% in control skin (p =0,13). This colonization was less important in lesional psoriatic skin (3%) than in non lesional psoriatic skin (12.1%) p= 0.20. Nasal screening identified (7/33) 21, 21% S. aureus carriers in psoriasis group and in control group. Our results are in consensus with literature findings. They have confirmed the importance of antimicrobial peptides in Innate immunity of human skin. These peptides are normally produced by keratinocytes in response to inflammatory stimuli such as psoriasis. Their high expression in psoriasis skin reduces the risk of skin infection and skin colonization with S. Aureus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Ibn Rochd UHC of Casablanca, Morocco; Laboratory of Immunology, faculty of medicine, Casablanca, Morocco.
authors.forename: Fatima Zahra
authors.initials: FZ
authors.lastname: Elfatoiki
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microbiology, Pasteur Institute, Casablanca, Morocco.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: El Azhari
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Medical informatics, faculty of medicine, Casablanca, Morocco.
authors.forename: Assiya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: El Kettani
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Medical informatics, faculty of medicine, Casablanca, Morocco.
authors.forename: Zineb
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Serhier
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Medical informatics, faculty of medicine, Casablanca, Morocco.
authors.forename: Mohamed Bennani
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Othmani
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microbiology, Pasteur Institute, Casablanca, Morocco.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Timinouni
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Ibn Rochd UHC of Casablanca, Morocco.
authors.forename: Hakima
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Benchikhi
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Ibn Rochd UHC of Casablanca, Morocco.
authors.forename: Soumiya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chiheb
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunology, faculty of medicine, Casablanca, Morocco.
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fellah
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009018:Morocco; D009296:Nasal Cavity / Q000382:microbiology*; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D013207:Staphylococcal Skin Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Antimicrobial peptides; innate immunity; nasal carriage; psoriasis; skin colonization; staphylococcus aureus