Fusidic acid cream for impetigo

doi:10.1136/bmj.324.7350.1394/a

BMJ 2002;324:1394 ( 8 June )

Letters

Fusidic acid cream for impetigo

Fusidic acid should be used with restraint

Judicious use is advisable

Emergence of resistance to fusidic acid limits its use

Problem may be clinically important

Resistance trends must be monitored

Findings cannot be extrapolated

Authors' reply

Fusidic acid should be used with restraint

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR $---$ Koning et al report the results of a clinical trial that showed the efficacy of topical fusidic acid as treatment ofpatients with impetigo.¹ This agent has been recommended bythe Dutch College of General Practitioners as the treatment ofchoice in patients with this infection. Koning et al observedthat none of the pretreatment isolates of Staphylococcus aureuswas resistant to fusidic acid and concluded that many years ofuse of topical fusidic acid has not resulted in appreciable resistancein staphylococci in the generalpopulation.

These findings illustrate one of the problems surrounding antimicrobial resistance $---$ namely, that patterns of resistance inone country cannot be extrapolated to those in another. Specifically,data for resistance rates to fusidic acid among S aureus isolatesin the United Kingdom differ markedly from those in the Netherlands.In a survey of 28 centres in the United Kingdom the incidenceof resistance . . . [Full text of this article]

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Fusidic acid cream in the treatment of impetigo in general practice: double blind randomised placebo controlled trial: Sander Koning, Lisette W A van Suijlekom-Smit, Jan L Nouwen, Cees M Verduin, Roos M D Bernsen, Arnold P Oranje, Siep Thomas, and Johannes C van der Wouden
BMJ 2002 324: 203. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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