Antibiotic resistance of cutaneous microorganisms

This study reviews the frequency of antibiotic resistance of saprophytic bacterial skin flora with special regards to the genetic basis of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, as well as to the clinical significance of propionibacterial resistance. Antibiotic resistance of cutaneous microorganisms is a too vast field to cover in a brief review. Therefore this presentation is confined to the normal flora of the skin, focusing on staphylococci and propionibacteria. Both systemic and topical antibiotics have been used for treatment of acne with great success for decades. The drugs used most are erythromycin, clindamycin, tetracyclines, and minocycline. Toyoda and Morohashi (1) reviewed the clinical trials conducted between 1966 and 1996. They found that these antibiotics produced clinical improvement in inflammatory efflorescences in the most studies analyzed. Positive effects on comedones were seen only in a small proportion of the few studies that used this outcome measure.