Irish study pinpoints new therapeutic target for atopic dermatitis A key mechanism underlying bacterial skin colonisation in atopic dermatitis (AD) has been discovered by Irish researchers. AD, commonly known as eczema is the most common chronic inflammatory skin disorder in children, affecting millions around the globe and 15 to 20 per cent of people in childhood. During disease flares, patients experience painful inflamed skin lesions accompanied by intense itch and recurrent skin infection. The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus) thrives on skin affected by AD, increasing inflammation and worsening AD symptoms. By studying the attachment of the bacterium to “corneocytes”, which are dead, flattened skin cells in the outer layer of the skin, researchers at the School of Genetics and Microbiology and School of Clinical Medicine, Trinity College Dublin (TCD), investigated the human and bacterial factors that enabled S. aureus to interact with skin.