Distribution of Malassezia species on the skin of patients with psoriasis.

Abstract Introduction Malassezia species can induce the expression of interleukin-17 (IL-17), which plays an important role in the inflammatory and immune response in psoriasis (PS). The purpose of this study was to investigate the Malassezia species composition in patients with PS and healthy individuals and explore the role of Malassezia species in the pathogenesis of PS. Materials and methods A total of 28 patients with PS and 10 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals participated in this study. Specimens collected from the lesional and non-lesional skin of patients with PS and the skin of healthy individuals were analyzed by using nested PCR. Results The relative abundance of Malassezia species was 84.96% in healthy subjects, more than twice that in patients with PS (P  Conclusions The Malassezia species composition in patients with PS differed from that of healthy individuals. M. restricta and M. globosa were the main Malassezia species in patients with PS.