Impetigo Impetigo is a skin infection seen in all age groups, but it is most common among children. Impetigo is caused by common bacteria, and it often starts as a minor scratch. It is more prevalent during warm weather, particularly among children who live in crowded conditions. The disease can be severe and dangerous in newborn infants. Impetigo first appears as a sore, often on the upper lip. It may resemble a cold sore or fever blister caused by herpes simplex virus - a virus that can spread by direct contact and may cause serious problems in children. A physician should be contacted to diagnose the condition correctly and treat it accordingly. A blister may form and, after it breaks, the secretion dries to form a thick, soft, golden crust. When the crust is removed clear, honey-colored fluid oozes from the raw sore. The sores may spread to other parts of the face, hands, or the body. Impetigo is spread only by direct contact. Parents or caretakers should keep children with active infections away from school and away from other children in the household.

Impetigo Infected children should not share towels or washcloths with others. The towels, sheets, and clothing of those with impetigo should be thoroughly laundered. The adults taking care of the infected child should wash their hands with soap and water after contact with the lesions. Treatment How impetigo is treated depends on your child's age, the type of impetigo and the severity of the infection. Treatments include: · Hygienic measures. Sometimes your doctor may choose to treat minor cases of impetigo with only hygienic measures. Keeping your child's skin clean can help mild infections heal on their own. · Topical antibiotics. Your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic that you apply to your child's skin (topical antibiotic), such as mupirocin ointment (Bactroban). Topical antibiotics avoid side effects such as diarrhea that can result from some oral medications, but as with oral antibiotics, bacteria can become resistant to them over time. · Oral antibiotics. Your doctor is likely to prescribe an oral antibiotic for ecthyma and severe cases of impetigo contagiosa. The specific antibiotic will depend on the severity of the infection and any allergies or conditions your child might have. Be sure to finish the entire course of medication even if your child seems better. This helps prevent the infection from recurring and makes antibiotic resistance less likely. symptoms Impetigo contagiosa The most common form of impetigo is impetigo contagiosa, which usually starts as a red sore on your child's face, most often around the nose and mouth. The sore ruptures quickly, oozing either fluid or pus that forms a honey-colored crust. Eventually the crust disappears, leaving a red mark that heals without scarring. The sores may be itchy, but they aren't painful. Your child isn't likely to have a fever with this type of impetigo but may have swollen lymph nodes in the affected area. And because it's highly contagious, just touching or scratching the sores can spread the infection to other parts of the body. Bullous impetigo Bullous impetigo primarily affects infants and children younger than 2 years. It causes painless, fluid-filled blisters — usually on the trunk, arms and legs. The skin around the blister is usually red and itchy but not sore. The blisters, which break and scab over with a yellow-colored crust, may be large or small, and may last longer than sores from other types of impetigo. Ecthyma Ecthyma is a more serious form of impetigo in which the infection penetrates deeper into the skin's second layer (dermis). Signs and symptoms include: · Painful fluid- or pus-filled sores that turn into deep ulcers, usually on the legs and feet · A hard, thick, gray-yellow crust covering the sores · Swollen lymph glands in the affected area · Scars that remain after the ulcers heal

Impetigo Causes Two types of bacteria cause impetigo — Staphylococcus aureus (staph), which is most common, and Streptococcus pyogenes (strep). Both types of bacteria can live harmlessly on your skin until they enter through a cut or other wound and cause an infection. In adults, impetigo is usually the result of injury to the skin — often by another dermatological condition such as dermatitis. Children are commonly infected through a cut, scrape or insect bite, but they can also develop impetigo without having any notable damage to the skin. Impetigo that strikes healthy skin is called primary impetigo. Secondary impetigo occurs after an injury to your skin's protective barrier. You're exposed to the bacteria that cause impetigo when you come into contact with the sores of someone who's infected or with items they've touched, such as clothing, bed linen, towels and even toys. Once you're infected, you can easily spread the infection to others. Staph bacteria produce a toxin that causes impetigo to spread to nearby skin. The toxin attacks a protein that helps bind skin cells together. Once this protein is damaged, bacteria can spread quickly.