ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Staphylococcus aureus colonization exacerbates atopic dermatitis. Local or systemic antibiotics can increase difficulty in controlling skin colonization and the possibility of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Choosing appropriate antibiotics has become more challenging. We investigated the frequency of S. aureus and MRSA colonization and susceptibility to antimicrobial agents. METHODS: We collected and cultivated the skin colonization samples of atopic dermatitis children less than 20 years old from June 2006 to May 2016, and tested the antibiotic sensitivity. We also checked the severity of atopic dermatitis by SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index and analyzed. RESULTS: Out of 2,355 subjects, 1,935 (82.2%) had S. aureus and 762 (39.4%) had MRSA. The frequency of MRSA increased from 13.3% in 2006 to 26.6% in 2007, 18.4% in 2008, 27.1% in 2009, 38.3% in 2010, 42.6% in 2011, 42.4% in 2012, 48.3% in 2013, 44.5% in 2014, 38.1% in 2015, and 37.5% in 2016. Mupirocin resistance started with 0% in 2009, and gradually increased annually to 13.7% in 2010, 14.7% in 2011, 25.4% in 2012, 35.2% in 2013, 34.9% in 2014, 39.8% in 2015, and 35.6% in 2016. The mupirocin resistant group has a higher SCORAD index than the other groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: MRSA frequency and mupirocin resistance tended to increase annually. We should choose the methods of managing bacterial colonization in atopic dermatitis carefully in order to prevent antibiotic resistance.