The role of bacterial superantigens in the pathophysiology of the skin

In contrast to conventional antigens,bacterial superantigens activate a lar ge percentage of an organism's total T-cell repertoire. This has clinical i mplications particularly in the case of infections with Gram-positive bacte ria. Unravelling the molecular mechanisms of superantigen-mediated T-cell a ctivation has yielded new insights in the pathogenesis of a number of disea ses, in the field of dermatology namely atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Mo reover,therapeutic applications of superantigens have begun to emerge.