A Study of Prevalence and Antibiotic Susceptibilities of Staphylococcus Aureus in the Bacterial Skin Infection of Dermatology Outpatients

Kim, Young Jo

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The increase of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) incidence has been often reported in nosocomial infection. However there has been a few reports about community-acquired infections with MRSA.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibilities of Staphylococcus aureus(S. aureus) in dermatology outpatients who have suspected bacterial skin infection.
METHODS
We performed bacterial cultures and susceptibility tests in patients who visited our clinic to treat pyogenic skin infection from May 1999 to August 2000.
RESULTS
Of 195 samples, bacteria were cultured in 144 samples. Among them, S. aureus was constituted 31.3%, coagulase (-) Staphylococcus was 15.5%, Streptococcus was 2%, mixed isolates were 25%, and no growth was 26.2%. The resistant rate of S. aureus about antibiotics was penicillin(PC) 96.1%, erythromycin(EM) 52.6%, gentamycin(GM) 50%, clindamycin(CC) 30.8%, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid(AMT) 16.6%, oxacillin(OX) 16.6%, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole(SXT) 10.2%, and vancomycin(VC) 0%. The effective antibiotics in the treatment of MRSA were SMT(33%) and VC(0%).
CONCLUSION
The most prominent pathogen in pyogenic skin infections of dermatology outpatients was S. aureus, which were sensitive to AMT, OX, SXT, and VC. However, PC was almost resistant. The effective antibiotics in the treatment of MRSA were SXT and VC. These results demonstrate that AMT and OX may be the first drug of effective therapeutic agent to pyogenic skin infections of outpatients.