Colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a growing clinical challenge in both metropolitan hospitals and community care centers. From 1980 to 1989, the University of Michigan Hospital reported a 17-fold increase in MRSA-positive isolates.1 Because nosocomial infection rates in long-term care facilities are 6 times higher in MRSA-positive patients, colonization has significant impacts on morbidity and mortality.2 To examine the prevalence of MRSA in cutaneous diseases characterized by high carriage rates of S aureus, we studied patients with psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
Patients and Methods.
Thirty-three patients with psoriasis, 28 with atopic dermatitis, and 33 HIV-infected patients participated in our study. Diagnosis of atopic dermatitis was supported by the criteria of Hanifin and Rajka.3Patients completed questionnaires to assess predisposing factors for S aureus colonization. Two culture specimens from the anterior nares and cutaneous lesions or axillae were obtained using a