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The effects of acne treatment with a combination of benzoyl peroxide and erythromycin on skin carriage of erythromycin resistant propionibacteria
Author(s) -
EADY E. A.,
BOJAR R. A.,
JONES C. E.,
COVE J. H.,
HOLLAND K. T.,
CUNLIFFE W. J.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
british journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.304
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1365-2133
pISSN - 0007-0963
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2133.1996.d01-733.x
Subject(s) - erythromycin , benzoyl peroxide , acne , medicine , antibiotics , combination therapy , antibacterial agent , concomitant , gastroenterology , pharmacology , microbiology and biotechnology , dermatology , biology , chemistry , organic chemistry , polymerization , polymer
Summary Concomitant application of 5% w/w benzoyl peroxide and 3% w/w erythromycin has previously been shown to prevent the overgrowth, on the skin of acne patients, of crythromycin‐resistant coagulase‐negative staphylococci, which occurs when the antibiotic is used alone. Two in vivo studies were carried out to assess the ability of the same therapeutic combination to inhibit the growth of pre‐existing erythromycin‐resistant propionibacteria and to prevent the selection of resistant strains during treatment. A double‐blind clinical trial in 37 patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris showed that the combination brought about a > 3 log 10 c.f.u. reduction in total propionibacterial numbers/cm 2 after 6 weeks therapy ( P < 0.001, Wilcoxon's matched pairs) and also significantly reduced the number of erythromycin‐resistant propionibacteria ( P < 0.05). In contrast, erythromycin alone reduced the total propionibacterial count by < 1.5 log 10 c.f.u./cm 2 after 6 weeks ( P < 0.05) and did not affect the number of erythromycin‐resistant strains. The combined formulation was significantly more effective at reducing total propionibacterial numbers at 6 ( P < 0.01, Mann‐Whitney) and 12 weeks ( P < 0.05) than erythromycin alone, although, after 12 weeks, the anti‐propionibacterial efficacy of both preparations was less marked. Five patients on combination therapy, and five treated with erythromycin alone, acquired erythromycin‐resistant strains de novo at week 6 or week 12. In an open study in 21 acne patients, who each carried > 10 3 c.f.u. erythromycin‐resistant propionibacteria/cm 2 skin pretreatment, the combination of erythromycin and benzoyl peroxide reduced the total propionibacterial count by > 2.5 log 10 and the number of erythromycin‐resistant strains by a similar amount ( P < 0.001, Wilcoxon). This was accompanied by highly significant reductions in acne grade and lesion counts ( P < 0.001). These data suggest that the combination of 5% w/w benzoyl peroxide and 3% w/w erythromycin has greater in vivo antipropionibacterial activity than 3% w/w erythromycin alone, and brings about significant clinical improvement in acne patients with high numbers of erythromycin‐resistant propionibacterial strains pretreatment.