Introduction:

Staphylococcus aureus skin infections occur with high frequency in the community. Folliculitis is its superficial form. An extension into the subcutaneous tissue results in the formation of a local suppurative lesion known as a furunculosis. Approximately 20% of patients with a furuncle have one or more recurrences over the next year, and a certain number have chronic relapsing furunculosis for months or years.

Objective:

to know the manifestation of IgE levels and IgG subclasses expressed in patients and controls, to infer the pattern of the immune response to infection.

Methods:

we conducted a prospective study where immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclasses and immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels were determined in serum of 25 ill patients with Staphylococcus aureus skin lesions, and 25 healthy controls, from the blood bank. An antigen (Staphylococcus aureus bacterin) was elaborated and in its confrontation, the normalization and validation methodology of immunoenzymatic assays to quantify human IgG was carried out. The results were expressed in optical densities and graphically as the mathematical ratio (IgG1/3) for Th1 and (IgE/IgG4) for Th2, in the serum of the patients.

Results:

IgG1 and IgG4 responses were obtained in patients and controls, and anti-Staphylococcus aureus IgE responses in patients.

Conclusions:

the controls have already had contact with Staphylococcus aureus, as it is normal flora of the skin, which causes the development of Th1 response (IgG1) and antibodies blockers (IgG4). On the contrary, ill patients develop a Th2 response (IgE) and the infection.