UNAIR NEWS – Staphylococcus aureus in Greek means a bunch of grapes. This bacterium was first discovered by a surgeon, Sir Alexander Ogston, in 1880. In 1884, Rosenbach was able to isolate a yellow bacterial colony from an abscess which was later given the name Staphylococcus aureus, aureus derived from the Latin meaning gold.
Staphylococcus aureus is the type of bacteria most often mentioned in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (DA) and the improvement was first described in the 1970s. With this background, dr. Iskandar Zulkarnain Sp.KK (K) together with his colleagues conducted a study related to reducing the colonization of Staphylococcus aureus with vitamin D.
“The research that I did with the team was experimental analytic research. The aim was to evaluate the effect of oral vitamin D3 compared with placebo syrup to decrease Staphylococcus aureus colonies , “explained the lecturer of Faculty of Medicine (FK).
From the genus Staphylococcus , he added, the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus is the most virulent and pathogenic species on the skin because it can affect the body’s condition through various methods both directly and indirectly. This bacterium is in the DA predilection area, namely antecubital and popliteal fossa as a moist area.
The lecturer who was born in Gadang, 64 years ago further explained, DA patients have lower vitamin D levels compared to non DA patients. Vitamin D can affect the immune mechanism through its immunomodulatory properties in innate and adaptive immunity.
“Vitamin D increases the production of antimicrobial peptides, especially cathelicidin. With a great urgency, research on the provision of vitamin D in Indonesia is still very limited, “he said.
The study sample used was all children patients with DA who met the criteria for acceptance of the sample, who came to Outpatient Unit of Dermatology and Venereology, Pediatric Dermatology Division Dr. Soetomo Hospital Surabaya. The research used consecutive techniques, conducted within 6 months.
“This research has been approved by the Ethics Committee of RSUD Dr. Soetomo Surabaya. All study subjects had signed informed consent (pediatric patients were represented by parents). The research showed that vitamin D3 can reduce Staphylococcus aureus colonization in DA patients. Morover, there is a significant difference in the percentage of decrease in Staphylococcus aureus colonization in the vitamin D3 group compared with the placebo, ” he stated.
Author: Dian Putri Apriliani
Editor: Nuri Hermawan
Details of the research available at:
https://www.ejpd.com/journal/index.php/EJPD/article/view/2001
Zulkarnain I.1, Rahmawati Y.W.1, Setyaningrum T.1, Citrashanty I.1, Aditama L.2, Avanti C.2. 2019. Vitamin D3 supplementation reduced Staphylococcus aureus colonization in the skin of pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis.
