PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Bat-Chen Friedman AU - Ran D. Goldman TI - Anti-staphylococcal treatment in dermatitis DP - 2011 Jun 01 TA - Canadian Family Physician PG - 669--671 VI - 57 IP - 6 4099 - http://www.cfp.ca/content/57/6/669.short 4100 - http://www.cfp.ca/content/57/6/669.full SO - Can Fam Physician2011 Jun 01; 57 AB - Question A 10-year-old boy with atopic dermatitis (AD) came for consultation with an exacerbation. He suffered from pruritus and multiple erythematous skin lesions, identified as inflamed but not infected. Because skin colonization with Staphylococcus aureus is very common in AD and can worsen the skin condition, is it reasonable to add topical antibiotic treatment to the anti-inflammatory treatment in this case? Answer Skin colonization with S aureus is prevalent in children and adults with AD, and can aggravate skin inflammation. Although topical combination creams with steroids and antibiotics are widely used for AD flare-ups, their superiority over anti-inflammatory treatment alone is not well established. Antibiotic treatment, whether systemic or topical, should be reserved for cases in which explicit signs of infection are present.