Immunohistochemical study of lysozyme in lupus miliaris disseminatus faciei.

The lysozyme activity in tissue samples from patients with lupus miliaris disseminatus faciei (LMDF), sarcoidosis and foreign body granuloma was investigated using the immunoperoxidase technique. The majority of epithelioid cells and giant cells in LMDF and sarcoidosis showed strong lysozyme staining in their cytoplasm. However, most macrophages and giant cells in foreign body granulomas, including granulomatous reactions to epidermal cysts and other foreign materials, stained weakly for lysozyme or were negative. These results suggest that LMDF is different from the foreign body reaction to inert substances, and may be induced by an immunological mechanism associated with cell-mediated immunity.