Immunohistology of amicrobial pustulosis of the folds

Abstract

Amicrobial pustulosis of the folds (APF), is a rare pustular eruption, predominantly involving the cutaneous folds, the external auditory canals and the scalp, occurring in patients who exhibit a wide spectrum of autoimmune abnormalities. There is a lack of data on the immunohistology of APF. We report a new case of APF associated with features of systemic lupus erythematosus (LE). Extensive immunohistological examinations of lesional and nonlesional skin were performed. The results of our immunohistological studies indicate that immunostaining with p53, Bcl-2, and CD8 antigens could be useful in differentiating APF from closely related inflammatory conditions such as psoriasis and cutaneous LE. However, studies on a larger sample size including controls are needed to substantiate our findings.