The frequency of erythromycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in impetiginized dermatoses

A trend toward increasing resistance of Staphylococcus aureus to standard antibiotic therapy has been reported. Specimens were taken from 98 patients in our outpatient staff clinic who had clinical signs of superficial skin infections. Patients with erythromycin-resistant S. aureus were contacted by telephone or seen in clinic. The organism was found in 87% of patients. Twenty-two (26%) of the 85 cultures that grew S. aureus were resistant to erythromycin. Treatment failure occurred in one of these patients. We conclude that S. aureus is the most common causative organism in secondary skin infections and impetigo in our patient population. Despite significant erythromycin resistance, there was a low frequency of treatment failure in this group. Erythromycin may still be a reasonable agent in the treatment of uncomplicated superficial skin infections in our community at this time.