title: Anti-staphylococcal treatment in dermatitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A 10-year-old boy with atopic dermatitis (AD) came for consultation with an exacerbation. He suffered from pruritus and multiple erythematous skin lesions, identified as inflamed but not infected. Because skin colonization with Staphylococcus aureus is very common in AD and can worsen the skin condition, is it reasonable to add topical antibiotic treatment to the anti-inflammatory treatment in this case?
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Skin colonization with S aureus is prevalent in children and adults with AD, and can aggravate skin inflammation. Although topical combination creams with steroids and antibiotics are widely used for AD flare-ups, their superiority over anti-inflammatory treatment alone is not well established. Antibiotic treatment, whether systemic or topical, should be reserved for cases in which explicit signs of infection are present.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Research in Emergency Therapeutics program, BC Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Room K4-226, Ambulatory Care Bldg, 4480 Oak St, Vancouver, BC V6H 3V4.
authors.forename: Bat-Chen
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: Ran D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Goldman
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents