Predominant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from various skin diseases.

We examined predominant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from lesions of various skin diseases, and during the past 3 years, 113 methicillin-sensitive and 31 methicillin-resistant S. aureus have been isolated. The predominant species isolated from almost all of the primary bacteriological cultures was S. aureus. The skin diseases from which cultures were most frequently prepared were atopic dermatitis, followed by ulcers. S. aureus was the predominant species in two-thirds or more of cases of all of the different skin diseases examined. The predominant species identified, other than S. aureus, included Streptococcus species and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Evaluation of the predominance of S. aureus is important to the determination of the severity of skin lesions and, if needed, appropriate antimicrobial therapy.