Impetigo in Children: A Clinical Guide and Treatment Options

ABSTRACT

Impetigo is a contagious; superficial bacterial infection of the skin; most frequently encountered in children. Causative organisms are almost always Staphylococcus aureus or streptococci; or a combination of the two. Predisposing factors are nasal and perineal colonisation; overcrowding; poor personal hygiene; minor skin trauma and preexisting skin diseases with disrupted skin barrier function; like eczema. Infection is mainly acquired through contact with sufferers or nasal carriers. Treatment should be given to avoid spread of the disease; and to minimise the risk of infecting others. Although the majority of cases of impetigo are self-limiting; under certain circumstances complications like toxic shock syndrome; staphylococcal osteomyelitis; septic arthritis and pneumonia can occur. Furthermore; certain strains of group A ?-haemolytic streptococci causing impetigo may result in poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis; just like streptococcal throat infections can result in rheumatic fever in children; but the pathogenesis remains poorly understood. It appears to be due to abnormal immune response or hypersensitivity to streptococcal antigens