this is image of cellulitis - a skin infection caused due to MRSA.
MRSA infections starts out with a small red bumps that can quickly turn into painful abscesses.
Cellulitis refers to infections of skin or fat or tissue that lie immediately beneath the skin ,usually starting as a small red bumps in the skin.
Symptoms of cellulitis :
cellulitis usually begins as a small area of tenderness,swelling and redness.As this red area begins to enlarge the person may develops a fever sometimes with chills and sweats and swollen lymph nodes(swollen glands) near the area of infected skins.
unlike impetigo which is a very superficial skin infection,cellulitis refers to an infection also involving the skin's deeper layer:the dermis and subcutaneous tissue.here main bacteria which cause cellulitis is staphylococcus but sometimes ocasionaley some other bacteria may also cause cellulitis.
Risk factor for cellulitis :
People whose immune system have been weekend for any reason (including chemotherapy for cancer and other immune supressing drugs) and also those who are dibetic are at higher risks for developing cellulitis.
also people with poor leg circulation may often develop scaly redness on the shins and ankles; this is called statis dermatitis and is often mistaken for the bacterial infection of cellulitis.
Causes of cellulitis :
the majority cases of cellulitis is caused either by staph(staphylococcus) or strep(streptococcus) bacteria.
cellulitis may also caused by some other types of bacteria,like in children below the age of H.flu(Hemophilus influenza) may cause cellulitis especially on face,arm and upper torso.Cellulitis from a dog or cat bite or scratch may be caused by the bacteria which has a vey short incubation period of only four to twenty-four hrs.Aeromonas hydrophilia,vibrio vulnificus and other bacteria are cause of cellulitis that develos after exposure to freshwater or sea water. Pasterulla multocida,Pseudomonas aeruginosa is another type of bacteria that cause cellulitis,typically after a puncture wound.
Is Cellulitis contagious??
cellulits is not contagious because it is an infection of skin's deeper layer(the dermis and subcutaneous tissue), and the skin's top layer(epidermis) provides a cover over infection.
How is cellulitis treated?
firstly it is important for the doctor to distinguish whether the inflammation is due to an infection or not?The history and physical examination may provide clue in this regard,as can sumtime an elevated white blood cell count.A culture of bacteria may also be valuable but in many cases the concentration of bacteria may be low and culture fails to demonstrates the causative organism.
When this becomes difficult or imposible for the doctor's to know whether it is inflammable or not then doctors just start treating with antibiotics for confirmation,if condition does not respond then it may need to change. For example if inflammation is thought to be because of auto immune disorder treatment may be with corticosteroid.
