Summary This report gives an account of nine patients, all females, with the histological finding of eosinophilic spongiosis. Six of them had positive intercellular antibodies on direct immunofluorescence but only two had circulating pemphigus antibodies. The clinical presentations of those with proven pemphigus resembled bullous pemphigoid in one, dermatitis herpetiformis in another, whereas the remainder were more typical of pemphigus foliaceus or vulgaris. Three patients had negative immunofluorescence. They may still develop pemphigus or alternatively could have some unclassifiable bullous dermatosis.

No abstract