Skin infection

Infection of the skin is distinguished from dermatitis,^[1] which is inflammation of the skin, but a skin infection can result in skin inflammation. Skin inflammation due to skin infection is called infective dermatitis.^[1]

Bacterial skin infections affected about 155 million people and cellulitis occurred in about 37 million people in 2013.^[2]

Cause

Bacterial

Example of cellulitis showing 3+ edema of left leg

Bacterial skin infections include:

• Folliculitis is an infection of the hair follicle that can resemble pimples.
• Impetigo is a highly contagious bacterial skin infection most common among pre-school children.^[3] It is primarily caused by Staphylococcus aureus, and sometimes by Streptococcus pyogenes.^[4]
• Erysipelas is an acute streptococcus bacterial infection^[5] of the deep epidermis with lymphatic spread.
• Cellulitis is a diffuse inflammation^[6] of connective tissue with severe inflammation of dermal and subcutaneous layers of the skin. Cellulitis can be caused by normal skin flora or by exogenous bacteria, and often occurs where the skin has previously been broken: cracks in the skin, cuts, blisters, burns, insect bites, surgical wounds, intravenous drug injection or sites of intravenous catheter insertion. Skin on the face or lower legs is most commonly affected by this infection, though cellulitis can occur on any part of the body.

Fungal

Fungal skin infections may present as either a superficial or deep infection of the skin, hair, and/or nails.^[7][8] As of 2010, they affect about one billion people globally.^[9]

Parasitic infestations, stings, and bites

Parasitic infestations, stings, and bites in humans are caused by several groups of organisms belonging to the following phyla: Annelida, Arthropoda, Bryozoa, Chordata, Cnidaria, Cyanobacteria, Echinodermata, Nemathelminthes, Platyhelminthes, and Protozoa.^[7][10]

Viral

Virus-related cutaneous conditions are caused by two main groups of viruses–DNA and RNA types–both of which are obligatory intracellular parasites.^[7][11]

Research

Dempster-Shafer Theory is used for detecting skin infection and displaying the result of the detection process.^[12]

References

1. ICD-10 > Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L00-L99) > Infections of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L00-L08) Stating: "Excludes: ... infective dermatitis ..."
2. Global Burden of Disease Study 2013, Collaborators (22 August 2015). "Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 301 acute and chronic diseases and injuries in 188 countries, 1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013.". Lancet (London, England) 386 (9995): 743–800. PMID 26063472.
3. NHS Impetigo
4. Kumar, Vinay; Abbas, Abul K.; Fausto, Nelson; & Mitchell, Richard N. (2007). Robbins Basic Pathology (8th ed.). Saunders Elsevier. pp. 843 ISBN 978-1-4160-2973-1
5. "erysipelas" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
6. "cellulitis" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
7. Habif, Thomas P. (2001). Skin disease: diagnosis and treatment. Mosby. ISBN 0-8151-3762-1.
8. David J. DiCaudo; Dirk Elston MD; Dirk M. Elston; Tammie Ferringer; Christine J. Ko; Christine Ko MD; Steven Peckham; Whitney A. High (2009). Dermatopathology. Philadelphia: Saunders. ISBN 0-7020-3023-6.
9. Vos, T (Dec 15, 2012). "Years lived with disability (YLDs) for 1160 sequelae of 289 diseases and injuries 1990-2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010.". Lancet 380 (9859): 2163–96. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61729-2. PMID 23245607.
10. Diaz JH (2010). "Mite-transmitted dermatoses and infectious diseases in returning travelers". J Travel Med 17 (1): 21–31. doi:10.1111/j.1708-8305.2009.00352.x. PMID 20074098.
11. Lebwohl MG, Rosen T, Stockfleth E (November 2010). "The role of human papillomavirus in common skin conditions: current viewpoints and therapeutic options". Cutis 86 (5): suppl 1–11; quiz suppl 12. PMID 21214125.
12. Maseleno A, Hasan M (2012). "Skin Diseases Expert System using Dempster-Shafer Theory". International Journal of Intelligent Systems and Applications. 4 (5): 38–44. doi:10.5815/ijisa.2012.05.06.