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Amoxicillin and diaper dermatitis
P J Honig1, B Gribetz, J J Leyden
1Children's Hospital, Philadelphia, Philadelphia 19104.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
|August 1, 1988
Summary
Amoxicillin antibiotic therapy in infants with otitis media increased Candida albicans recovery from skin and rectum. This rise in fungal organisms correlated with an increased risk of developing diaper dermatitis.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Dermatology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Otitis media is common in infants.
- Antibiotic use is frequent in treating pediatric infections.
- Candida albicans is a common commensal fungus that can become pathogenic.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of amoxicillin on Candida albicans colonization in infants with otitis media.
- To determine the relationship between antibiotic therapy and the development of diaper dermatitis.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative cultures of skin and gastrointestinal sites for Candida albicans.
- Study included 57 infants diagnosed with otitis media.
- Cultures were performed before and after a 10-day course of systemic amoxicillin therapy.
Main Results:
- Amoxicillin therapy led to a twofold increase in Candida albicans recovery from rectal and skin sites.
- Infants who developed diaper dermatitis showed a significant increase in Candida albicans counts at affected sites.
- A correlation was observed between amoxicillin use and increased fungal colonization.
Conclusions:
- Systemic amoxicillin treatment in infants is associated with increased colonization by Candida albicans.
- Amoxicillin use appears to elevate the risk of developing diaper dermatitis in infants.
- Fungal overgrowth may play a role in antibiotic-associated diaper dermatitis.