Purpose of review: Maculopapular exanthema is a common cutaneous manifestation of many diseases produced by several agents able to activate the immune system, the most common of which are drugs and viruses. In spite of its high frequency, knowledge of the molecular mechanisms involved remains scarce.
Recent findings: The cytokine patterns in maculopapular exanthema have a Th1 or Th0 pattern, according to whether the reaction is induced by a drug or a virus, respectively. Additionally, the involvement of CD4 T-lymphocytes with cytotoxic capabilities has been shown in the former. Different chemokines and their receptors are also involved in skin homing, such as CCL20, CCL27, CXCL9 or CXCL10, and oxidative stress can help exacerbate the symptoms.
Summary: These findings may be very important for the diagnostic evaluation of these entities and for the development of new tools for diagnosis and treatment.