Systematic review and meta-analysis shows moderate correlation between S. aureus colonization and atopic dermatitis severity

BackgroundA positive association between Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) colonization and atopic dermatitis (AD) severity has been reported. However, the strength and consistency of this relationship remain unclear.MethodsWe systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science up to July 19, 2025. The reported correlation coefficients of studies have been extracted and converted into Fisher’s z-scores. The calculated values have been generated using a random-effects model in RevMan software and the final pooled result was converted to a correlation coefficient (r) with 95% confidence intervals. We tested the heterogeneity between the included studies using I². We also provide sensitivity analyzes and subgroup.ResultsSeven RCTs with 929 participants were included. The pooled analysis showed a moderate positive correlation between S. aureus colonization and AD severity (r = 0.42, 95%CI: 0.31–0.52). The observed heterogeneity was moderate but not significant (I² = 38%, P = 0.14). Sensitivity and subgroup analyzes supported the robustness of the main findings.ConclusionsS. aureus colonization is moderately associated with AD severity. However, it should not be interpreted as evidence of a direct causal relationship.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD420251104116.