title: Staphylococcus aureus in Acne Pathogenesis: A Case-Control Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is considerable evidence which suggests a possible pathogenetic role for Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in acne vulgaris.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The study was to determine S. aureus colonization and antibiotic susceptibility patterns in patients with acne and of healthy people.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the case-control study, a total of 324 people were screened for nasal carriage of S. aureus: 166 acne patients and 158 healthy persons. One control subject was individually matched to one case. Nasal swabs from anterior nares of individuals were cultured and identified as S. aureus. Antibiotic sensitivity was performed with recognized laboratory techniques.
  
  
  RESULTS
  S. aureus was detected in 21.7% of the subjects in acne, and in 26.6% of control groups. There was no statistical difference in colonization rates between two groups (P=0.3). In patient group, most of S. aureus isolates were resistant to doxicycline and tetracycline (P=0.001), and were more sensitive to rifampicin compared to other drugs. In control samples, the isolated demonstrated higher resistance to cotrimoxazole compared to patient samples (P=0.0001). There was no difference between groups regarding resistance to rifampicin, vancomycin, methicillin, and oxacillin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is still unclear whether S. aureus is actually a causal agent in the pathogenesis of acne. Based on microbiological data of both healthy and acne-affected persons, we propose that contribution of S. aureus in acne pathogenesis is controversial.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nosocomial Infection Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Farzin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Khorvash
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Abdi
authors.forename: Hessam H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Kashani
authors.forename: Farahnaz Fatemi
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Naeini
authors.forename: Tahmineh
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Narimani