Shuichi Higaki

Comparative study of staphylococci from the skin of atopic dermatitis patients and from healthy subjects

Background Bacterial infections occur frequently on the skin of atopic dermatitis (AD) patients. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the microbiology of the skin of AD patients for staphylococci, the frequency and density of each species, and their susceptibility to antimicrobial drugs.

Correlation between Propionibacterium acnes Biotypes, Lipase Activity and Rash Degree in Acne Patients

We examined the possible correlation between biotypes of Propionibacterium acnes, lipase activity, and rash degree in acne patients. Among 5 P. acnes biotypes, P. acnes biotype 3 (B3) was the most common, followed by P. acnes biotypes 1, 2 and 4; P. acnes biotype 5 was not found. P. acnes B3 was isolated from more severe skin rashes than those of the other biotypes. Production of propionic acid (PA) and butyric acid (BA) by P. acnes B3 was higher than those by the other P. acnes biotypes. As the rash degree in acne patients was more severe, the production of PA and BA elevated. Although only a few P. acnes strains were examined in the present study, P. acnes B3 had the highest lipase activity and might have the greatest influence on skin rash in acne patients.

Identification of Propionibacterium acnes by polymerase chain reaction for amplification of 16S ribosomal RNA and lipase genes

Propionibacterium acnes belongs to the cutaneous flora and is present in sebaceous follicles. The fatty acids that are released from sebum triglycerides by the action of this bacterial lipase play an important role in the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris. P. acnes is also involved in postoperative disorders and opportunistic infections in immunosuppressed hosts. Recently, it has been proposed that P. acnes causes sarcoidosis. Therefore, rapid isolation and identification of P. acnes is important. This study evaluated the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of the 16S rRNA and lipase genes of P. acnes. The PCR used to detect the 16S rRNA gene could amplify the gene of P. acnes, but not the genes of the other tested strains of P. avidum, P. granulosum, P. lymphophilum, P. jensenii, P. acidipropionici and P. thoenii. The PCR to detect the lipase gene of P. acnes, however, could amplify not only the gene of P. acnes but also that of P. avidum. The PCR product of this lipase gene was not found in the strains of the other species tested. Therefore, the organism that has both the 16S rRNA gene and lipase gene was identified as P. acnes, while the strain with the lipase gene but not the 16S rRNA gene of P. acnes was characterized as P. avidum. These findings were confirmed by the conventional biochemical tests including lipase activity. Furthermore, out of the seven clinical isolates from acne vulgaris, four were identified as P. acnes and three as P. avidum by the PCR method and biochemical tests. The combination of two PCR, one for the detection of the 16S rRNA and the other of lipase genes was shown to be an easier, faster and more accurate method to identify P. acnes and P. avidum than conventional methods.

Anti-lipase activity of Kampo formulations, coptidis rhizoma and its alkaloids against Propionibacterium acnes.

Anti‐lipase activity of Kampo formulations, Coptidis Rhizoma (CR), and its alkaloids against Propionibacterium. acnes were examined in vitro. The amounts of propionic and butyric acids in the medium were measured as growth and lipase activity of P. acnes, respectively. In tributyrin‐PYG medium with each concentration of Kampo formulation, CR, or the alkaloids added, the production of propionic acid was suppressed remarkably more than that of butyric acid. The suppression of production of these acids by CR was higher than that of the alkaloids. Furthermore, no lipase‐negative colonies were found on the medium to which Kampo formulations were added.

Activity of Eleven Kampo Formulations and Eight Kampo Crude Drugs against Propionibacterium acnes Isolated from Acne Patients: Retrospective Evaluation in 1990 and 1995

We reviewed the susceptibility of Propionibacterium acnes to eleven Kampo formulations and to eight Kampo crude drugs that had been studied by examining their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) in 1990 and 1995. P. acnes strains were most sensitive to Oren‐gedoku‐to (OGT) among these Kampo formulations. Coptidis Rhizoma (CR) and Phellodendri Cortex (PC) inhibited the growth of P. acnes significantly among the eight Kampo crude drugs examined. The patterns of distribution of MIC of Kampo formulations and Kampo crude drugs to P. acnes in this study were almost the same as in our previous report in 1990. No significant increases in MIC of Kampo formulations and Kampo crude drugs to P. acnes were observed.

The Correlation of Kampo Formulations and Their Ingredients on Anti-bacterial Activities against Propionibacterium acnes

The correlation between the susceptibilies of Propionibacterium acnes strains to two Kampo formulations and these to their ingredients (Kampo crude drugs) was examined. Two out of 19 Kampo crude drugs, Coptidis Rhizoma (CR) and Phellodendri Cortex (PC), inhibited the growth of P. acnes significantly. The patterns of distribution of the minimal inhibitory concentrations of Keigai‐rengyo‐to (KRT) and of Seijo‐bofu‐to (SBT) were almost the same as those of the Kampo crude drugs, except CR and PC.

Relationship between Propionibacterium acnes Biotypes and Jumi‐haidoku‐to

We examined the relationship between Propionibacterium acnes biotypes and Jumi‐haidoku‐to (JHT). In all the P. acnes strains tested, the production of propionic acid (PA) and butyric acid (BA) was suppressed in a medium containing 1 mg/ml JHT compared with the control medium without JHT. There were no significant differences in the rates of decreased PA and BA production between P. acnes biotype 3 (B3) and the other biotypes or between isolates from mild skin rash and more severe skin rash. P. acnes B3 was the most commonly identified biotype. The clinical effects on acne due to the anti‐P. acnes lipase activity of JHT did not seem to be influenced by the degree of acne rash or the P. acnes biotype.

Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease with Follicular Involvement

The clinical and histopathological findings in a 25‐year‐old Japanese male patient who suffered from chronic graft‐versus‐host‐disease (GVHD) with follicular involvement are described. The patient had been diagnosed as aplastic anemia and underwent an allogeneic bone marrow transplant (BMT). In the eighth month thereafter, pruritic follicular red papules developed over his trunk and extremities. A biopsy specimen revealed histological exocytosis of lymphocytes into the hair follicles and basal‐cell vacuolization of the follicular epithelium. Analysis of T‐lymphocyte subpopulations in the dermis revealed a predominance of CD4 positive cells. To our knowledge, several cases of acute follicular GVHD have been reported (1, 2); however, the occurrence of chronic GVHD with follicular involvement (chronic follicular GVHD) has not been clearly documented.

Minocycline Effectively Reduces Acid Producted by Propionibacterium granulosum

We studied the effects of minocycline on Propionibacterium granulosum. P. granulosum lipase activity was detected from acne lesions. Production of propionic and butyric acids by P. granulosum was well suppressed by all tested media with added minocycline; the higher the concentration of minocycline in the medium, the less of these acids was produced. It appeared that the decrease in these acids due to minocycline was greater in P. granulosum than in P. acnes. Although the influence of P. granulosum on acne lesions might be feebler than that of P. acnes, we should not neglect its presence. More research is needed to elucidate the relationship between the two species in acne lesions.

An ultrastructural study of lipodystrophia centrifugalis abdominalis infantilis, with special reference to fibrous long-spacing collagen

Abstract: Lipodystrophia centrifugalis abdominalis infantilis (LCAI) in a 2.5‐year‐old Japanese girl is reported. Clinically she had a curved cutaneous depression with a slightly elevated erythematous border on the left abdomen beyond the left groin. The regional lymph node was palpable. Histologic examination showed a decrease of the fat, an inflammatory infiltrate mainly composed of lymphocytes, and septal fibrosis in the subcutaneous tissue. Immunohistochemical analysis found that infiltrating lymphocytes were mainly positive against CD4. Ultrastructurally nuclei in the adipocytes were crescent shaped and located toward the periphery of the cell. Some banded structures with a periodicity of 150 nm, and with intraperiodic bands, referred to as fibrous long‐spacing collagen (FLSC), were observed in the septal area of the fatty tissue. These results indicated that FLSC was correlated with the breakdown of fibrillar collagens in LCAI.