Relationship between lipase enzyme and antimicrobial susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus-positive and Staphylococcus epidermidis-positive isolates from acne vulgaris

Background Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis have pathogenic role in the development of acne. Lipase enzyme is suggested to be involved in acne pathogenesis. However, the susceptibility of both bacteria to common antibiotics and whether lipase enzyme may affect such susceptibility is questioned. Objective To investigate antibiotic susceptibility of S. aureus and S. epidermidis isolated from acne lesions and explore the association between lipase enzyme and antibiotic resistance. Patients and methods Bacterial swabs from 102 patients with acne were sampled from acne lesions and microbial strains were isolated. S. aureus and S. epidermidis were analyzed for susceptibility to various antibiotics. Lipase enzyme was assessed in the isolated strains using Epsilometer test. Results Of the 102 isolates, S. aureus was detected in 18 (17.7%) specimens and S. epidermidis in nine (8.8%) specimens. Eleven (61.1%) specimens of the S. aureus isolates were sensitive to penicillin, whereas all S. aureus specimens (100%) were resistant to minocycline. S. epidermidis isolates showed the highest susceptibility to azithromycin and clarithromycin. Lipase enzyme was detected in 15 (83.3%) S. aureus-positive isolates and nine (100%) S. epidermidis-positive isolates. Neither the presence of lipase enzyme nor its activity was statistically related to the susceptibility of S. epidermidis and S. aureus to antibiotics. Conclusion Although, Staphylococci spp. isolated from acne lesions showed lipase activity and high prevalent rates of antimicrobial resistance, the association between lipase enzyme and antibiotic susceptibility was statistically insignificant.