title: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus skin abscesses in a pediatric patient with atopic dermatitis: a case report.
abstract: Recent trends indicate an increasing incidence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CAMRSA) in the general population, which is especially worrisome for clinicians caring for patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). Patients with AD are heavily colonized with S aureus and have impaired skin integrity and abnormal immune responses, which predisposes them to more invasive cutaneous infections (eg, cellulitis, furuncles, abscesses). In this report, we describe a child with severe AD who presented with CAMRSA skin abscesses. The presence of an atypical skin infection in patients with AD, particularly those unresponsive to conventional penicillinase-resistant penicillins and cephalosporins, should alert the clinician to the possibility of MRSA as the underlying etiology, and intervention should be directed accordingly.
authors.affiliation: University of California at San Francisco, USA.
authors.forename: Liza M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Honig
authors.forename: Albert C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Yan
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D013207:Staphylococcal Skin Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus