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Impetigo - Symptom

Symptoms:

  • A single or possibly many blisters filled with pus; easy to pop and -- when broken -- leave a reddish raw-looking base (in infants)
  • Itching blister:
    • Filled with yellow or honey-colored fluid
    • Oozing and crusting over
  • Rash -- may begin as a single spot, but if person scratches, it may spread to other areas
  • Skin lesions on the face, lips, arms, or legs, that spread to other areas
  • Swollen lymph nodes near the infection (lymphadenopathy)

Signs and tests:

Diagnosis is based mainly on the appearance of the skin lesion.

A culture of the skin or lesion usually grows the bacteria streptococcus or staphylococcus. The culture can help determine if MRSA is the cause, because specific antibiotics are used to treat this infection.

  • Reviewed last on: 10/5/2010
  • Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Habif TP. Bacterial infections. In: Habif TP, ed. Clinical Dermatology. 5th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby Elsevier; 2009:chap 9.

Pasternack MS, Swartz MN. Cellulitis, necrotizing fasciitis, and subcutaneous tissue infections. In: Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2009:chap 90.

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