GRANULAR DEPOSITS OF IMMUNOGLOBULINS IN THE SKIN OF PATIENTS WITH DERMATITIS HERPETIFORMIS. AN IMMUNOFLUORESCENT STUDY

SUMMARY.— Direct immunofluorescent technique applied to skin sections revealed the occurrence of granular deposits of immunoglobulins in the basement membrane zone of the uninvolved skin from 10 of 12 patients with dermatitis herpetiformis, whereas sections from all 12 patients with pemphigoid yielded a homogeneous immunofluorescent staining pattern.
By indirect immunofluorescent technique "basement membrane antibodies" could be demonstrated in the sera from only 7 of 12 patients with pemphigoid.
The implications of the in vivo occurrence of immunoglobulins with regard to the pathogenesis of dermatitis herpetiformis and the possibilities for diagnostic applications of the presented findings are discussed.