To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: ASM: Treating Acne With Antibiotics Leads To Antibiotic Resistance URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/1FC1D6.htm Doctor's Guide May 23, 2001
ORLANDO, FL -- May 23, 2001 -- The use of antibiotics to treat severe acne can lead to the development of antibiotic resistance in the bacteria that cause the skin condition, say researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. They report the results of their study at the 101st General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) in Orlando, Florida. "Antibiotic-resistant Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) strains were significantly more often isolated from antibiotic-treated than from non-antibiotic-treated patients. When patients with acne are treated with antibiotics, the risk of development of antibiotic resistance should be realized," says Carl Erik Nord, the lead investigator of the study. P. acnes is part of the natural microflora of the skin and is thought to play an important role in the development of severe, inflamed acne. Antibiotics, most commonly tetracycline and erythromycin, have been used for over 20 years to treat moderate and severe forms of acne. The use of antibiotics has been connected to the development of antibiotic resistance in other bacteria, and the researchers sought to determine if that was also occurring in P. acnes. In the study presented at the ASM Meeting, bacterial skin samples were taken from 99 patients being treated for acne with antibiotics and 30 control subjects who were not receiving antibiotic treatment. All participants had severe acne. In the group of patients treated with antibiotics the researchers found 28 percent had antibiotic-resistant P. acnes compared to only 6 percent of the control group. The researchers say this study suggests that we should rethink current acne treatment policy. "The use of antibiotics to treat acne should be restricted and other regimens should be tested," says Dr. Nord. SOURCE: American Society For Microbiology --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.