Bacterial skin infections : Causes, Symptoms, Treatment and Diagnosis

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Bacterial skin infections
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Bacterial skin infections

• Skin is the largest organ of your body. Its
  function is to protect your body from infection.
  Sometimes the skin itself becomes infected.
• Skin infections are caused by a wide variety of
  germs, and symptoms can vary from mild to
  serious.
• Mild infections may be treatable with
  over-the-counter medications and home remedies,
  whereas other infections may require medical
  attention.
• Bacterial skin infections often begin as small,
  red bumps that slowly increase in size. Some
  bacterial infections are mild and easily treated
  with topical antibiotics, but other infections
  require an oral antibiotic.

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Symptoms

• Symptoms of bacterial infections
• Leprosy- The main symptoms of leprosy include
• Muscle weakness
• Numbness in the hands, arms, feet, and legs
• Skin lesions
• Skin lesions decrease sensation to touch,
  temperature, or pain.
• They dont heal after several weeks and are
  lighter than the normal skin tone.
• Impetigo- The symptoms of impetigo may include
• Red sores that pop easily and leave a yellow
  crust
• Fluid-filled blisters
• Itchy rash
• Skin lesions

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Symptoms
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• Swollen lymph nodes
• Cellulites- The symptoms of cellulites may
  include
• Pain and tenderness in the affected area
• Redness or inflammation of your skin
• A skin sore or rash that appears and grows
  quickly
• A tight, glossy, swollen appearance of the skin
• A feeling of warmth in the affected area
• A central area that has an abscess with pus
  formation
• A fever
• Furuncle- Certain symptoms may include
• Benign-looking bump on the skin, similar to a
  pimple.
• The boil can become hard and painful with
  increasing infection
• Bacteria and dead skin cells may build up under
  the skin, forming pus
• Pressure builds, which may cause the furuncle to
  burst and release its fluids

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Diagnosis of bacterial infections

• Leprosy- A physical exam is done to look for the
  signs and symptoms of the disease.
• A skin biopsy or scraping is done, e a small
  piece of skin is removed and tested to see the
  bacteria.
• A lepromin skin test to determine the form of
  leprosy
• Cellulites- A physical exam must be known to know
  the extents of spread of symptoms. In some cases
  blood test is also done to confirm the diagnosis.
• Impetigo Most diagnosis is done by physical
  test. In some cases culture may be done, to know
  the bacteria causing the infection.
• Furuncle It is also diagnosed by a physical
  test.

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Types of bacterial infections

• Leprosy- Leprosy is a chronic, progressive
  bacterial infection caused by the bacterium
  Mycobacterium leprae.
• It primarily affects the nerves of the
  extremities, the lining of the nose, and the
  upper respiratory tract.
• Leprosy produces skin sores, nerve damage, and
  muscle weakness.
• If it isnt treated, it can cause severe
  disfigurement and significant disability.
• Cellulitis- Cellulitis is a common bacterial skin
  infection. Cellulitis may first appear as a red,
  swollen area that feels hot and tender to the
  touch.
• The redness and swelling often spread rapidly.
  Cellulitis is usually painful.
• In most cases, the skin on the lower legs is
  affected, although the infection can occur
  anywhere on your body or face.

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Types of bacterial infections
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• Cellulitis usually affects the surface of your
  skin, but it may also affect the underlying
  tissues of your skin.
• Cellulitis can also spread to the lymph nodes and
  bloodstream
• Impetigo- Impetigo is caused by skin infection
  with one of two types of bacteria, Streptococcus
  pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus.
• It is very contagious and can spread from one
  person to another.
• It usually occurs on the face, neck, and hands of
  young children and infants.
• Furuncle- Furuncle or boils are bacterial or
  fungal infections of hair follicles.
• The infected hair follicle can be on any part of
  your body, not only in scalp.
• When the hair follicle becomes infected, the skin
  around it becomes inflamed.
• The furuncle looks like a red, raised bump on the
  skin and will rupture and weep fluid.

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Causes of bacterial infections

• Impetigo- AN impetigo can occur in different
  ways, which are
• Skin-to-skin contact with a person who has
  impetigo
• Touching things a person with impetigo has had
  contact with, such as towels, bedding, or toy
• Injury to the skin
• Insect bites
• Animal bites
• Cellulitis Cellulitis occurs when certain types
  of bacteria enter through a cut or crack in the
  skin.
• Cellulitis is commonly caused by Staphylococcus
  and Streptococcus bacteria.

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Causes of bacterial infections
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• Skin injuries such as cuts, insect bites, or
  surgical incisions are commonly the sites of the
  infection.
• A weakened immune system
• Skin conditions that cause breaks in the skin,
  such as eczema and athletes foot
• Intravenous (IV) drug use
• Diabetes
• A history of cellulitis
• Furuncle The most common bacterium is
  Staphylococcus aureus, hence why furuncles can
  also be called staph infections.
• Everyone has S. aureus on their skin as a normal
  occurrence.

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Causes of bacterial infections
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• The bacterium causes an infection only if it
  enters your bloodstream through an open wound,
  such as a cut or a scratch.
• Once the bacterium is in your blood, your immune
  system tries to fight it and the boil is actually
  the result of your white blood cells working to
  eliminate it.

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Treatment

• Treatments of bacterial infections
• Leprosy-Certain antibodies are used to treat
  leprosy, which include
• Dapson
• Rifampin
• Clofazamine
• Minocycline
• Ofloxacin
• Cellulites- Oral antibodies are used to treat
  cellulites.
• Impetigo- For impetigo tropical antibiotic to
  apply directly to the skin may be used, or oral
  antibiotic is used.
• Furuncle- For boils (furuncle) tropical
  antibiotic to apply directly to the skin may be
  used, or oral antibiotic is used

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