The Impact of Treating Staphylococcus Aureus Infection and Colonization on the Clinical Severity of Atopic Dermatitis
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2011-03-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infection is perceived not only as a common secondary
complication of atopic dermatitis (AD), but also as a culprit in the worsening of this
condition. In addition, the recent development of community acquired methicillin-resistant S.
aureus (CA-MRSA) has presented a new challenge to our management of AD, both in treatment of
acute infections and maintenance therapy. The investigators would like to perform a
randomized investigator-blinded placebo-controlled study of children aged 6 months to 17
years with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis with clinical signs of secondary bacterial
infection to study: 1) the prevalence of CA-MRSA in our patient population; 2) the
relationship of sensitivity of the S. aureus organism cultured from the infected lesion(s) to
clinical response to oral cephalexin therapy and severity of the AD; and 3) whether
concurrent treatment of S. aureus infection initially with nasal mupirocin ointment and
sodium hypochlorite (bleach) baths can result in long-term S. aureus eradication and clinical
stability.
Phase:
Phase 4
Details
Lead Sponsor:
Northwestern University
Collaborators:
Johnson & Johnson Society for Pediatric Dermatology