Open AccessImmunotherapy with Mycobacterium vaccae in the treatment of psoriasis
Author(s) -
Lehrer Amira,
Bressanelli Amalia,
Wachsmann Viviana,
Bottasso Oscar,
Bay MariaLuisa,
Singh Mahavir,
Stanford Cynthia,
Stanford John
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
fems immunology & medical microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1574-695X
pISSN - 0928-8244
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-695x.1998.tb01151.x
Subject(s) - placebo , immunotherapy , toxoid , immunology , medicine , psoriasis , immune system , tetanus , psoriasis area and severity index , clinical trial , antigen , gastroenterology , vaccination , pathology , alternative medicine
A placebo‐controlled study of immunotherapy with Mycobacterium vaccae for chronic plaque psoriasis showed improvement in the psoriasis area severity index in 19 of 21 immunotherapy recipients ( P <0.005 ). Minor improvement, not reaching statistical significance for the group, occurred in nine of 14 placebo recipients. There were losses to follow‐up and the placebo used, tetanus toxoid, was not ideal. Clinical improvement after immunotherapy persisted for 6 months and another injection of the immunotherapeutic given to a few volunteers from either group resulted in benefits lasting a year. Lymphoproliferative tests were carried out at each clinic visit, and on 50 matched controls. Starting with reduced responses to mycobacterial antigens and concanavalin A, both treatment groups showed a fall after 3 months, and diverged at 6 months with M. vaccae recipients rising to values similar to those of healthy controls, whereas placebo recipients continued to fall. Conclusions reached were that immunotherapy with M. vaccae gave long‐lasting clinical benefit to most patients, with minimal side effects. This accompanied a return towards normal cellular immune responsiveness to mycobacterial antigens, which did not follow the use of the placebo.