Serum and skin lysozyme activity in non-diabetic and diabetic subjects.

Lysozyme activity was significantly reduced in the skin of patients with clinical diabetes, but not in the skin of other diabetics or in serum of all these patients. Sex and age had no influence on serum or skin lysozyme activity in either nondiabetic or diabetic subjects. The reduction of cutaneous lysozyme activity is suggested as a factor for the seriousness and the relapses of cutaneous infections in subjects with clinical diabetes.