Bacterial Skin Infections

Bacteria are residents of the skin, shared with other people in a variety of ways. Infections may result from skin injury, insect bites, but often arise spontaneously by bacterial invasion of hair follicles and skin glands. A boil is a localized abscess created by the growth of staphylococci in a hair follicle. Spreading infections, described as cellulitis, are commonly caused by group A streptococci. Rarely, infections with virulent stains of Strep A progress to cell death in deep tissue (necrotising fasciitis).

Hand cleansing in hospitals is the most important method of infection control. Cleaning skin wounds with  warm water and antiseptic detergents such as chlorhexidine is a primary method of infection control. Topical antibiotics and a protective bandage are secondary infection control measures. The identification of infecting organisms is not easy.  Skin swabs will grow a mixture of organisms, suggesting the need for an unnecessarily broad antibiotic coverage.

Antibiotics that inhibit the growth of group A streptococci and Staph. aureus are used when an infection is not controlled by local measures Bacterial resistance has made most penicillins obsolete, so that the choice of antibiotic requires physicians expertise and knowledge of local bacterial strains. Newer fluoroquinolone antibiotics such as moxifloxacin and levofloxacin have advantages over existing drugs. They have been approved for the once-daily treatment of skin infections.

Fungal Skin Infections

Fungi are found everywhere and yeasts form part of the normal skin flora. Fungal infections of the skin, hair and nails are common skin diseases. Fungi can infect the skin of people of all ages. Increased incidence occurs in immunocompromised patients who have AIDS, diabetes, or are being treated with chemotherapeutic agents and therapy directed at reducing inflammation. People with diabetes and people who are simply getting older have more skin infections.

Skin infections can divided into the most common superficial group that stays in the outer layers of the skin and an invasive group that extends beyond the skin in adjacent tissues and may spread to other organs. Invasive skin infections such as blastomycosis often develop after a primary lung infection is established. The infecting yeast travel in the blood from the lung to skin areas. See Blastomycosis of the Skin.

Learn More About Skin Infection with Fungi

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Skin in Health and Disease