Staphylococcus aureus Augments Epithelial Skin Barrier Damage Through T Cell Activation in Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma

Cutaneous lymphoma is often difficult to diagnose, as many of the symptoms - itching, dry skin, cosmetic problems and increased Staphylococcus aureus infections - resemble those seen in common skin diseases such as eczema.

The symptoms are a result of an inflammatory reaction that weakens the skin barrier function, resulting in less protection against insults and increased susceptibility to infections.

We have now discovered that Staphylococcus aureus released toxins activate malignant and healthy T lymphocytes in the skin of cutaneous T cell lymphoma to release signalling molecules (cytokines) that act on the skin cells.

This fuels a vicious circle where skin cells reduce production of essential skin barrier proteins, leading to further barrier breakdown and even better conditions for the bacteria.

Treatment with antibiotics has a beneficial effect

Treatment with antibiotics improves the skin barrier in both experimental animals and patients, which strongly suggests that eliminating the toxin-producing bacteria has a beneficial effect.

In our latest research, we show that new drug candidates, endolysins,  effectively remove staphylococci and their harmful effects in in‑vitro experiments.

Our results thus give hope that novel treatments can soon be used to selectively eliminate staphylococci in patients with cutaneous lymphoma.

Link to the scientific publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/all.70292