Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis (EPF) is characterized clinically by pruritic grouped follicular papules and pustules on the trunk, limbs, and face, and, histologically, by follicular infiltration with eosinophils. The blood eosinophil count is elevated in most patients. Oral minocycline, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, diaminodiphenylsulphone, and corticosteroids may induce remission. We report two Japanese men with EPF who responded poorly to the usual therapy. Intravenous injections of recombinant interferon-gamma (rIFN-gamma), 5 x 10(5) to 2 x 10(6) Japan Reference Unit (JRU) (1 JRU roughly corresponds to 4 NIH units) daily for 7 days, cleared the skin lesions and returned the peripheral eosinophil counts to normal in both patients. However, the lesions recurred 2-3 days after rIFN-gamma was stopped. Both patients have received intravenous rIFN-gamma once or twice a week for nearly 1 year without systemic side-effects. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction revealed a decreased expression of interleukin 5 (IL-5) mRNA in peripheral mononuclear cells after the rIFN-gamma therapy. rIFN-gamma may become the treatment of choice in recalcitrant EPF, although further studies are needed. It may work by interfering with the immunological function of type 2 T-helper cells, including IL-5 production responsible for the growth and differentiation of eosinophils.

Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis (EPF) is characterized clinically by pruritic grouped follicular papules and pustules on the trunk, limbs, and face, and, histologically, by follicular infiltration with eosinophils. The blood eosinophil count is elevated in most patients. Oral minocycline, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, diaminodiphenylsulphone, and corticosteroids may induce remission. We report two Japanese men with EPF who responded poorly to the usual therapy. Intravenous injections of recombinant interferon-gamma (rIFN-gamma), 5 x 10(5) to 2 x 10(6) Japan Reference Unit (JRU) (1 JRU roughly corresponds to 4 NIH units) daily for 7 days, cleared the skin lesions and returned the peripheral eosinophil counts to normal in both patients. However, the lesions recurred 2-3 days after rIFN-gamma was stopped. Both patients have received intravenous rIFN-gamma once or twice a week for nearly 1 year without systemic side-effects. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction revealed a decreased expression of interleukin 5 (IL-5) mRNA in peripheral mononuclear cells after the rIFN-gamma therapy. rIFN-gamma may become the treatment of choice in recalcitrant EPF, although further studies are needed. It may work by interfering with the immunological function of type 2 T-helper cells, including IL-5 production responsible for the growth and differentiation of eosinophils.

Wedescribe a case ofvaricella pneumoniain a 24-year-old healthy manpresenting with severe respiratory failure. A chest radiograph showed diffuse, bilateral airspace consolidation; additional complications included liver dysfunction and thrombocytopenia. However, treatment with intravenous acyclovir and y-globulin improved his clinical symptoms and signs. A greater than four-fold change in paired titers of the varicella-zoster virus antibody was observed. Bronchoalveolar lavage performed during the recovery phase revealed increased total cell and lymphocyte counts and a decreased CD4:CD8ratio ofT lymphocytes. Transbronchial lung biopsy findings were compatible with a diagnosis of interstitial pneumonia. (Internal Medicine 35: 315-318, 1996)

These findings suggested, that rIL-2 not only induces lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells and NK cells, but also facilitates these cytotoxic cells to adhere to MHE cells by enhancing ICAM-1 expression of tumor cells.