Are These Abscesses?

Discussion Staphylococcus aureus is a gram-positive, catalase-positive coccal bacterium that is found on the skin and respiratory tract. It is the most common cause of skin and soft tissue abscesses. Staphylococcus can also cause enteritis, pneumonia, and toxic shock syndrome. In addition to abscesses, Staphylococcus can cause pustulosis, cellulitis, necrotizing fascitis and other exfoliative skin disease such as bullous impetigo. Staphylococcus is well-known to colonize the human skin, nail and nares. It is spread by physical contact and aerosolization. Skin breaches allow Staphylococcus to enter the body and to disseminate by hematogenous spread in as little as 1-3 hours. The host immune defenses may clear the bacteremia or Staphylococcus may provoke disseminated disease including sepsis, multiorgan system failure or distant abscesses. Local skin disruption may also cause localized skin disease without bacteremia or dissemination. To review stages of Staphylococcus abscess formation see To Learn More below. Learning Point In the study of afebrile neonates presenting to two emergency rooms with skin and soft tissue infections, 104 infants were evaluated out of > 120,000 emergency department visits. Pustulosis was most common in the genitourinary areas and abscesses were commonly found on the buttocks. All of these patients did not have bacteremia or other serious bacterial infection. When looking at the types of evaluations and treatments the patients received, neona...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news