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Immune and Inflammatory Reponses to Staphylococcus aureus Skin Infections

  • Immunology (D Lee, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

There have been recent advances in our understanding of cutaneous immune responses to the important human skin pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). This review will highlight these insights into innate and adaptive immune mechanisms in host defense and cutaneous inflammation in response to S. aureus skin infections.

Recent Findings

Antimicrobial peptides, pattern recognition receptors, and inflammasome activation function in innate immunity as well as T cells and their effector cytokines play a key role in adaptive immunity against S. aureus skin infections. In addition, certain mechanisms by which S. aureus contributes to aberrant cutaneous inflammation, such as in flares of the inflammatory skin disease atopic dermatitis, have also been identified.

Summary

These cutaneous immune mechanisms could provide new targets for future vaccines and immune-based therapies to combat skin infections and cutaneous inflammation caused by S. aureus.

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Funding

This work was supported by grants R01AR073665 and R01AR069502 (to LSM) from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Cancer Research Building II, Suite 205, 1550 Orleans Street, Baltimore, MD, 21231, USA

    Qi Liu, Momina Mazhar & Lloyd S. Miller

  2. Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

    Lloyd S. Miller

  3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

    Lloyd S. Miller

  4. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA

    Lloyd S. Miller

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  1. Qi Liu
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Correspondence to Lloyd S. Miller.

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Conflict of Interest

L.S.M. has received grant support from MedImmune, Pfizer, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Moderna Therapeutics, and Boehringer Ingelheim, is a shareholder of Noveome Biotherapeutics, and is on the scientific advisory board for Integrated Biotherapeutics, which are all developing vaccines and therapeutics against S. aureus infections and inflammatory skin diseases.

Qi Liu and Momina Mazhar declare they have no conflicts of interest.

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Liu, Q., Mazhar, M. & Miller, L.S. Immune and Inflammatory Reponses to Staphylococcus aureus Skin Infections. Curr Derm Rep 7, 338–349 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13671-018-0235-8

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