25/02/2021
What is impetigo?
●Impetigo is a common and contagious skin infection. Bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes infect the outer layers of skin, called the epidermis. The face, arms, and legs are most often affected.
●Anyone can get impetigo, but it most commonly affects children, especially those ages 2 to 5.
●The infection often begins in minor cuts, insect bites, or a rash such as eczema — any place where the skin is broken. But it can also occur on healthy skin.
●It’s called primary impetigo when it infects healthy skin and secondary impetigo when it occurs in broken skin. It isn’t always easy or necessary to make this distinction.
●Impetigo is an old disease. The name dates back to 14th-century England and comes from the Latin word impetere, meaning “to attack.” “Attack” seems a fitting description for this easily spread infection.
●Bacteria thrive in hot, moist conditions. So impetigo tends to be seasonal, peaking in the summer and fall in northern climates. In warm and humid climates, it tends to occur year-round.
Causes
Impetigo is an infection caused by strains of staph or strep bacteria. These bacteria can get into your body through a break in the skin from a cut, scratch, insect bite, or rash. Then they can invade and colonize.
The condition can be contagious. You can catch these bacteria if you touch the sores of a person with impetigo or you touch items like towels, clothes, or sheets that the person used.
However, these bacteria are also common in our environment, and most people who come in contact with them won’t necessarily develop impetigo.
Some people normally carry staph bacteria on the inside of their nose. They may get infected if the bacteria spreads to their skin.
Adults and children are at higher risk for impetigo if they:
■live in a warm, humid climate
■have diabetes
■are undergoing dialysis
■have a compromised immune system, such as from HIV
■have skin conditions such as eczema, dermatitis, or psoriasis
■have a sunburn or other burns
■have itchy infections such as lice, scabies, herpes simplex, or chickenpox
■have insect bites or poison ivy
■play contact sports
~Treatment consists of penicillins
~Antibiotics shorten the infection and can help prevent spread to others.
