Pemphigus is a life-threatening blistering disorder of the skin and mucous membranes caused by pathogenic autoantibodies to desmosomal adhesion proteins desmoglein 3 (Dsg3) and Dsg1. Mechanisms of antibody pathogenicity are difficult to characterize using polyclonal patient sera. Using antibody phage display, we have isolated repertoires of human anti-Dsg mAbs as single-chain variable-region fr...

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune epidermal blistering disease caused by autoantibodies directed against the desmosomal cadherin desmoglein-3 (Dsg3). Significant advances in our understanding of pemphigus pathomechanisms have been derived from the generation of pathogenic monoclonal Dsg3 antibodies. However, conflicting models for pemphigus pathogenicity have arisen from studies using ei...

Background. Pemphigus vulgaris is an autoimmune blistering disease affecting the mucous membrane and skin. In 50 to 70% of cases, the initial manifestations of pemphigus vulgaris are oral lesions which may be followed by skin lesions. But it is unusual for the disease to present with initial and solitary persistent lower lip lesions without progression to any other location. Main Observations. ...

Drugs have often been implicated as the cause of pemphigus. Lisinopril is a drug of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor class primarily used in the treatment of hypertension, congestive heart failure, heart attacks, and also in preventing renal and retinal complications of diabetes mellitus. Various side-effects have been described in the English medical literature related to lisinopril...

Fogo Selvagem (FS) is an endemic form of pemphigus foliaceus (PF) which is prevalent in certain regions of Brazil (Diaz et al., 1989). Genetic and environmental factors such as insect bites may contribute to the development of FS (Aoki et al., 2004; Diaz et al., 1989; Moraes et al., 1997). Blister formation in FS is mediated by predominantly IgG4 antidesmoglein 1 (Dsg1) antibodies (Rock et al.,...

Pemphigus foliaceus is a superficial vesiculobullous disease that typically presents with widespread lesions. Localized presentations are less frequent, and they typically occur in middle-aged patients, following exposure to topical medications, and later on, become more disseminated. We present a case of a 19-year-old female with a localized presentation of pemphigus foliaceus unrelated to pre...

Pemphigus is a chronic, potentially life threatening, autoimmune intraepidermal blistering disease affecting the skin and the mucous membrane. Pemphigus may have profound impact on the quality of life in the affected patients. Counselling and adjuvant psychotherapy may be beneficial at least in few patients and should be considered as a part of multidisciplinary approach.

Myiasis, infestation of live human and vertebrate animals by larvae, can complicate ulcers and open wounds. Although myiasis occurs in neglected erosions of pemphigus, such a complication is not documented in the literature. Herein, we report a case of myiasis complicating pemphigus vulgaris and describe its dermatoscopic features.

Pemphigus is rare in children, only 71 cases have been reported in literature. We report 2 cases of pemphigus vulgaris (13 and 15 years old) among 147 cases of pemphigus from Khouzestan who were admitted to the Department of Dermatology, Ahwaz Medical University between 1989-2001. The basis of diagnosis was clinical and histopathological findings in each patient. One patient was treated only wi...

Pemphigus and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are severe potentially life-threatening autoimmune diseases. They are classified as B-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases, both depending on autoreactive CD4+ T lymphocytes to modulate the autoimmune B-cell response. Despite the reported association of pemphigus and SLE, the molecular mechanisms underlying their comorbidity remain unknown. Weighted...