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impetigo
(im″pә-ti´go)
a contagious skin disorder, usually caused by infection of a lesion with Staphylococcus aureus. It usually occurs in children, especially infants because of their low resistance, and is spread by direct contact with the
moist discharges of the lesions. Transmission is by direct contact, by fomites, or by autoinoculation that causes secondary infections in areas of the body not originally affected. Two different types have been distinguished,
known as bullous and nonbullous impetigo.
bullous impetigo
a type seen most often in newborn babies, but sometimes in older children or adults, caused by infection with Staphylococcus aureus. Skin eruptions begin as small vesicles that enlarge to form flaccid blisters that may be 5 cm in diameter and have reddened
borders. Besides the face and limbs, these can also occur on the trunk, and the crust left after rupture of a lesion is not
as thick as that seen with nonbullous impetigo.
nonbullous impetigo
, impetigo vulgaris
the most common kind of impetigo, caused by infection at sites of minor trauma such as scrapes, cuts, or insect bites; the
infecting organism is usually Staphylococcus aureus and less often a group A streptococcus. Lesions are usually discrete, fragile vesicles with reddened borders; they become
larger and pustular and then break to discharge a thin yellow fluid that dries and forms a thick crust. The pustules may spread
outward with healing at the center.
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