title: Rubbing skin with nylon towels as a major cause of pseudomonas folliculitis in a Japanese population.
abstract: Pseudomonas folliculitis (PF) is a community-acquired skin infection, which develops after exposure to contaminated water such as whirlpools, swimming pools, water slides and hot tubs. In Japan, this condition has been sporadically reported, often in association with bathing; however, the exact cause of PF in the Japanese population remains unclear. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed 10 patients with PF diagnosed at our dermatology clinic (two males and eight females). Four patients had recurrences over 1-3 years. Notably, eight of the 10 patients were rubbing their bodies with nylon towels or sponges placed in the bathrooms during bathing. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated from the nylon towels used in two of the two patients examined. Discontinued use of nylon towels resulted in prompt resolution of PF and no recurrence in all cases. Our observation suggests that rubbing the skin with nylon towels contaminated with P. aeruginosa was a major cause of PF in a Japanese population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical University, Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Teraki
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005499:Folliculitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009757:Nylons; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017592:Skin Care / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D009757:Nylons
keywords: Pseudomonas aeruginosa; bathing; nylon towel; pseudomonas folliculitis