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Bacterial flora in psoriasis
Author(s) -
ALY RAZA,
MAIBACH HOWARD I.,
MANDEL ADRIAN
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
british journal of dermatology
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.304
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1365-2133
pISSN - 0007-0963
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2133.1976.tb07031.x
Subject(s) - desquamation , staphylococcus aureus , psoriasis , dermatology , skin flora , flora (microbiology) , medicine , incidence (geometry) , anterior nares , pathology , biology , bacteria , surgery , methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus , genetics , physics , optics
The aerobic bacterial flora of psoriatic plaques, uninvolved skin and the anterior nares of forty psoriatic patients was studied. The incidence od Staphylococcus aureus was 30% in the anterior nares, 20% on the plaques and 13% on the uninvolved skin. S. aureus counts were 3 x 10(2)/cm2 on the plaques and 1-5 x 10/cm2 on the normal skin. The total bacterial counts were also higher on plaques (7-9 x 10(3)/cm2) than on normal skin (3-0 x 10(3)/cm2). The incidence of lipophilic diphtheroids was significantly lower on the plaques (4%) than the normal skin (30%). Eighty percent of the strains of S. aureus isolated from psoriatic patients were resistant to 10 units of penicillin. Because of increased desquamation, psoriatic skin is a public health hazard.