1 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic skin disorder characterized by recurrent viral skin infections. A small subset of patients with AD suffer from disseminated viral infections, e.g., eczema herpeticum (ADEH+), after herpes simplex infection (HSV) or eczema vaccinatum (EV) after smallpox vaccination. Interferon gamma (IFNγ) plays a critical role in the innate and acquired immune responses by activating macrophages, enhancing natural killer cell activation, and promoting T cell differentiation, as well as regulating B cell isotype switching to immunoglobulin (Ig) G2a. Recent studies have demonstrated that IFNγ generation was significantly decreased after stimulation with HSV ex vivo. The purpose of this study is to determine if deficient IFNγ induction leads to susceptibility to HSV infection in ADEH+ patients.