Contact dermatitis, aminoglycosides

Neomycin is an antibiotic from the aminoglycoside group, and has two isomers - neomycin B and neomycin C. Occupational contact dermatitis mainly occurs in workers at animal-feed mills, in veterinaries and in health workers. 

Topical antibiotics are often used in the treatment of dermatitis with bacterial superinfection. However, in Germany sensitization to the aminoglycoside antibiotic neomycin was less frequent in patients with anogenital dermatitis (15) compared with the UK, where 15 of 79 patients with positive patch tests and anogenital complaints were positive to neomycin (17). Framycetin contact sensitivity was frequent in the UK, partly through cross-reactivity with neomycin (16). 

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