Impetigo and Ecthyma

Nonbullous impetigo typically manifests as clusters of vesicles or pustules that rupture and develop a honey-colored crust (exudate from the lesion base) over the lesions. Smaller lesions may coalesce into larger crusted plaques.

Bullous impetigo is similar except that vesicles typically enlarge rapidly to form bullae. The bullae burst and expose larger bases, which become covered with honey-colored varnish or crust.

Ecthyma is characterized by small, purulent, shallow, punched-out ulcers with thick, brown-black crusts and surrounding erythema.

Impetigo and ecthyma cause mild pain or discomfort. Pruritus is common; scratching may spread infection, inoculating adjacent and nonadjacent skin.

Diagnosis of impetigo and ecthyma is by characteristic appearance.

Cultures of lesions are indicated only when the patient does not respond to empiric therapy. Patients with recurrent impetigo should have nasal culture. Persistent infections should be cultured to identify MRSA.

The affected area should be washed gently with soap and water several times a day to remove any crusts.

Treatment for localized impetigo is topical mupirocin antibiotic ointment 3 times a day for 7 days, retapamulin ointment 2 times a day for 5 days, or ozenoxacin 1% cream applied every 12 hours for 5 days. Fusidic acid 2% cream 3 to 4 times a day until lesions resolve is as effective but is not available in the US.

Oral antibiotics (eg, dicloxacillin or cephalexin 250 to 500 mg 4 times a day [12.5 mg/kg 4 times a day for children] for 10 days) may be needed in immunocompromised patients, those with extensive or resistant impetigo lesions, or for ecthyma; clindamycin 300 mg every 6 hours or erythromycin 250 mg every 6 hours may be used in penicillin-allergic patients, but resistance to both drugs is an increasing problem.

Use of initial empiric therapy against MRSA MRSA and purulent or complicated cellulitis Cellulitis is acute bacterial infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissue most often caused by streptococci or staphylococci. Symptoms and signs are pain, warmth, rapidly spreading erythema... read more is not typically advised unless there is compelling clinical evidence (eg, contact with a person who has a documented case, exposure to a documented outbreak, culture-documented local prevalence of > 10% or 15%). Treatment of MRSA should be directed by culture and sensitivity test results; typically, clindamycin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, and doxycycline are effective against most strains of community-associated MRSA.

Other therapy includes restoring a normal cutaneous barrier in patients with underlying atopic dermatitis Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema) Atopic dermatitis is a chronic relapsing inflammatory skin disorder with a complex pathogenesis involving genetic susceptibility, immunologic and epidermal barrier dysfunction, and environmental... read more or extensive xerosis Xeroderma Xeroderma is dry skin that is neither inherited nor associated with systemic abnormalities. Xeroderma results from delayed shedding of the superficial cells of the skin, yielding fine white... read more using topical emollients and corticosteroids if warranted. Chronic staphylococcal nasal carriers are given topical antibiotics (mupirocin) for 1 week each for 3 consecutive months.

Prompt recovery usually follows timely treatment. Delay can cause cellulitis, lymphangitis, furunculosis, and hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation with or without scarring. Children aged 2 to 4 years are at risk of acute glomerulonephritis if nephritogenic strains of group A streptococci are involved (types 49, 55, 57, and 59); nephritis seems to be more common in the southern US than in other regions. It is unlikely that treatment with antibiotics prevents poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis.