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Comparative study of staphylococci from the skin of atopic dermatitis patients and from healthy subjects
Author(s) -
Higaki Shuichi,
Morohashi Masaaki,
Yamagishi Takayoshi,
Hasegawa Yoshinori
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
international journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-4632
pISSN - 0011-9059
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-4362.1999.00686.x
Subject(s) - medicine , staphylococcus epidermidis , atopic dermatitis , staphylococcus aureus , antimicrobial , coagulase , ampicillin , staphylococcal skin infections , antibiotics , vancomycin , skin infection , staphylococcus , microbiology and biotechnology , dermatology , bacteria , biology , genetics
Background Bacterial infections occur frequently on the skin of atopic dermatitis (AD) patients. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the microbiology of the skin of AD patients for staphylococci, the frequency and density of each species, and their susceptibility to antimicrobial drugs. Methods To study the staphylococci present on the skin of 21 AD outpatients and of 12 healthy subjects (HS), cutaneous organisms were obtained using the contact‐plate method. ResultsStaphylococcus aureus was isolated in 85.7% of AD patients (mild type, 77.8%; moderate type, 87.8%; and severe type, 100%) and in 25% of HS, while Staphylococcus epidermidis was isolated in 83.3% of HS and in 38.1% of AD patients. Among the coagulase‐negative staphylococci (CNS) identified, S. epidermidis was the common type and several other CNS were detected in both AD patients and HS. As the eruption grade of dermatitic skin became more severe, the average density of S. aureus increased (severe, 2.68 ± 0.86; moderate, 2.49 ± 0.48; mild, 2.28 ± 0.44). A reversed tendency was seen in S. epidermidis (severe, 1.80; moderate, 1.90; mild, 2.10). Among nine antimicrobial drugs tested against S. aureus , S. epidermidis , and some other types of CNS isolates, vancomycin (VCM) and minocycline (MINO) were the most active, gentamycin (GM) was the less active, and ampicillin (ABPC) was the least active. Conclusions The skin of AD patients was more frequently colonized with S. aureus than that of normal controls. As the severity of the AD lesions increased, the numbers of S. aureus isolated increased. The skin of HS was more colonized with S. epidermidis . Other species of CNS were isolated from several cases of AD patients and HS. In addition, S. aureus , S. epidermidis , and the other CNS showed poor susceptibility to some of the tested antimicrobial drugs.