Microbial flora of atopic dermatitis

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Abstract
• The microbial flora of dermatitic skin, uninvolved skin, and the anterior nares of subjects with atopic eczema were investigated. The carriage rate of Staphylococcus aureus was 79% for the anterior nares, 76% for the uninvolved skin (normal skin), and 93% for lesions. The counts of S aureus were 7.5 × 104/sq cm in lesions and 7.1 × 103/sq cm on adjacent normal skin. Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant organism in the lesions and constituted 91% of the total aerobic bacterial flora. The coagulasenegative staphylococci were the second predominant organisms (9%). On normal skin, coagulase-negative staphylococci were the predominant organisms, constituting 63% of the total flora, followed by S aureus (30% of the bacterial flora). The micrococci counts were lower in the lesions (1.6 × 102/sq cm) and higher on normal skin (9.5 × 102/sq cm). Lipophilic diphtheroids were fewer on normal skin (6.7 × 10/sq cm), and there were none in the lesions. Fifty-eight percent of the strains belonged to group 3, and 38% were nontypeable. Staphylococcus aureus strains belonging to phage groups 2 and 4 were not detected. (Arch Dermatol113:780-782, 1977)