🦴 Musculoskeletal & Dermatology🟢 BasicBacterial Skin Infections

Bacterial Skin Infections

Infections of the skin by bacteria, ranging from surface impetigo to deeper, spreading cellulitis.

Key points

Most bacterial skin infections are caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes.
Impetigo is a surface infection, common in children, giving oozing sores that dry to a golden-yellow crust.
A boil (furuncle) is a deep infection of a hair follicle, and several joined together form a carbuncle.
Cellulitis is a spreading infection of the deeper skin, giving a hot, red, tender, poorly defined area, often with fever.
Erysipelas is a sharply defined, raised, bright-red infection of the upper skin, often on the face or the leg.

Memory trick

Bacterial skin infections (Staph aureus, Strep pyogenes): impetigo (surface, golden crust, children); boil and carbuncle (follicle, deep); cellulitis (deep, spreading, hot red poorly defined); erysipelas (sharply defined, bright-red, raised).

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🦴 Musculoskeletal & Dermatology🟢 BasicBacterial Skin Infections

Bacterial Skin Infections

Infections of the skin by bacteria, ranging from surface impetigo to deeper, spreading cellulitis.

Key points

Most bacterial skin infections are caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes.
Impetigo is a surface infection, common in children, giving oozing sores that dry to a golden-yellow crust.
A boil (furuncle) is a deep infection of a hair follicle, and several joined together form a carbuncle.
Cellulitis is a spreading infection of the deeper skin, giving a hot, red, tender, poorly defined area, often with fever.
Erysipelas is a sharply defined, raised, bright-red infection of the upper skin, often on the face or the leg.

Memory trick

All of Dermatology More Musculoskeletal & Dermatology