2. Basic Description
• Impetigo is a superficial disease. This
means that it is on the surface of skin.
• Most common in children and can affect
skin with no visible breaks in it.
• It is contageous and can be spread
through puss from an infected person
touching your skin.
3. Cause
• Staphylococcus (staph) bacteria or
streptococcus (strep) bacteria
• Methicillin-resistant staph aureus (MRSA)
is becoming a common cause.
• The breaking of the barrier of skin. Some
of these occurrences are animal bites,
human bites, injury or trauma, or insect
bites.
4. Symptoms
• Puss filled blisters
• Itchy and yellow puss filled with crusty
outsides
• Skin lesions
• Rashes that can spread with scratching
• Swollen lymph nodes
5. Treatment
• Prescription antibiotic cream for mild
rashes
• Prescription antibiotics taken by mouth for
more severe cases
• Wash several times a day with
antibacterial soap and warm water to
remove the crust and puss from the
lesions.
• Can be diagnosed with a sample of the
puss from the lesion.
6. Facts about impetigo
• The sores heal slowly and rarely scar
• The heal rate is very high
• Usually reoccurs in children after
treatment
• Commonly occurs around the nose and
mouth, hands and forearms, and in diaper
areas on infants but can occur on any part
of the body.
11. Complications
• Can cause kidney failure but this is rare
• It causes rashes in kids.
• Can cause permanent damage to the skin.
This is rare also.
• The infection can spread to other parts of
the body. This is very common.
12. Prevention
• Use a clean wash cloth and towel every
time you clean
• Do not share personal care items with
anyone not even family
• Use good hygiene and wash the lesions
every day and wash your hands after
touching a lesion.
