This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Long-term use of antibiotics to treat acne did not increase resistance
Fanelli M. Arch Dermatol. 2011;doi:10.1001/archdermatol.2011.67.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Prolonged use of tetracycline antibiotics commonly used to treat acne was not associated with increased resistance to tetracyclines, but they were associated with a reduced prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, according to a report posted online.
Matthew Fanelli, MD, and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, conducted a survey study of patients who were being treated for acne to determine the frequency of S. aureus colonization and to compare the susceptibility patterns between patients who use antibiotics and those who do not routinely use antibiotics.
Of the 83 people enrolled in the study, 36 (43%) were colonized with S. aureus, but only two of these patients had methicillin-resistant S. aureus. The researchers noted 20 patients had S. aureus solely in their throats; nine had S. aureus solely in their noses and seven had S. aureus in both their noses and throats.
“Long-term use of antibiotics decreased the prevalence of S. aureus colonization by nearly 70%,” the researchers said in the report. “A decreased rate of colonization was noted with the use of both oral and topical antibiotics.”
Fewer than 10% of the isolates of S. aureus were resistant to tetracyclines, the most commonly used antibiotic family to treat acne, the researchers said.
“Resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin was mostly prevalent among our isolates and was noted in the patients who did and did not use antibiotics,” they said, noting that future research with respect to other organisms and antibiotics is necessary.
 |
Follow the PediatricSuperSite.com on Twitter. |