Lichen planus pemphigoides (LPP) is a rare and controversial disease. It is characterized by bullae arising on lichen planus papules and on uninvolved skin, subepidermal bullae in histology, and linear deposits of IgG and C3 along the basal membrane zone on immunofluorescence of peribullous skin. Our goal was to identify the localization of the target antigen in cases of LPP. Five patients diagnosed with LPP on clinical, histological and immunofluorescence criteria were explored by immunoelectron microscopy and immunoblot. Our results show that the target antigen in LPP is not unique. The localization of the immune deposits was consistent with a diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid in two cases, of cicatricial pemphigoid in two cases and of epidermolysis bullosa acquisita in one case. Our study supports the view that LPP is a heterogeneous condition in which lichen planus may induce different subepidermal acquired bullous dermatoses.

The aim of this study was to analyse the association between human herpesvirus type 8 (HHV8) and sarcoidosis. Using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we tested the presence of HHV8 DNA sequences in 13 skin specimens and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from eight patients suffering from sarcoidosis. We also looked for the presence of HHV8 antibodies in the sera of 28 patients with sarcoidosis using three techniques: two indirect immunofluorescence assays and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with recombinant capsid protein fragment encoded by open-reading frame 65. HHV8 PCR analysis was negative while HHV8 serological studies showed an overall prevalence of 18% among patients suffering from sarcoidosis: 43% in patients from sub-Saharan Africa, 17% in patients from Northern Africa, 12.5% in patients from the French West Indies and 0% in French patients. In conclusion, our results do not indicate an association between HHV8 and sarcoidosis but reflect the seroepidemiology of this virus in different geographical regions.

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