Infection
Map of Content — topic group mapped by judgment from infranodus community detection
Members
- Infected Eczema — Eczema with secondary bacterial (mostly S. aureus) or herpes infection: weeping, crusts, pus, fever. Urgent GP; blisters+fever = emergency.
- Staphylococcus aureus — Bacterium colonising ~70% of eczema lesions; causes impetiginised flares. Antibiotics only if a child is unwell or infection is spreading.
- MRSA — Meticillin-resistant Staph aureus; over-represented in eczema children; needs swab-guided antibiotics; recurrent carriage → decolonisation.
- Impetigo — Contagious staph/strep infection with golden crusts; on eczema it is ‘impetiginised’. NICE first line, small patches: hydrogen peroxide 1%.
- Eczema Herpeticum — Widespread herpes simplex (HSV-1) infection of eczema; an emergency needing same-day aciclovir and specialist or hospital care.
- Herpes Simplex Virus — Cold sore virus (mostly HSV-1), usually caught in early childhood by kissing; on eczema skin it can cause eczema herpeticum.
- Aciclovir — Antiviral for herpes simplex; immediate oral or IV aciclovir is standard for suspected eczema herpeticum. Each day of delay lengthens stay.
- Flucloxacillin — Anti-staph penicillin; NICE first-choice oral antibiotic for infected eczema/impetigo; bitter liquid; clarithromycin if allergic.
- Clarithromycin — Oral macrolide; NICE’s alternative to flucloxacillin for infected eczema or impetigo if penicillin-allergic or fluclox liquid is refused.
- Erythromycin — Macrolide for toddler perioral dermatitis; NICE uses it for impetigo/infected eczema only in pregnancy, clarithromycin otherwise.
- Tetracyclines — Oral antibiotics, first-line for adult perioral dermatitis; avoided in young children (tooth staining), though short doxycycline looks safe.
- Fusidic Acid — Topical anti-staph antibiotic; NICE limits it to 5–7 day courses for localised infection because overuse in eczema drives resistance.
- Fucidin H — 2% fusidic acid + 1% hydrocortisone cream for infected eczema; leaflet allows up to 2 weeks, beyond NICE’s 5–7 days for fusidic acid.
- Mupirocin — Topical antibiotic (Bactroban); NICE switch if fusidic acid resistance suspected; nasal decolonisation; resistance follows repeated use.
- Hydrogen Peroxide Cream — Crystacide 1% antiseptic cream; NICE NG153 first-line for localised non-bullous impetigo, sparing topical antibiotics; no known resistance.
- Antimicrobial Resistance — Fusidic acid/mupirocin-resistant S. aureus is enriched in eczema children and tracks prior topical use; why NICE limits antibiotic creams.
- Decolonisation — Clearing carried staph from nose and skin (nasal mupirocin/fusidic acid, antiseptic washes) after swabs, only for frequent recurrences.
- Bleach Baths — Dilute hypochlorite baths for moderate-severe eczema; 2017 meta-analysis: no better than water; 2022 GRADE review: modest gain.
- Skin Microbiome — Skin microbe community; in flares diversity falls, S. aureus dominates (65% of untreated flares, Kong 2012); bacteriotherapy: trials only.
- Bacteriotherapy — Experimental treatment applying live protective skin bacteria (S. hominis A9, R. mucosa); the one placebo RCT including 2-year-olds failed.
- Roseomonas mucosa — Gram-negative skin commensal tested as topical ‘microbiome transplant’; promising open-label (2018), but FB-401 RCT (ages 2+) failed.
- Molluscum Dermatitis — Eczema patches around molluscum spots; commoner and longer-lasting with AD; red inflamed spots (BOTE sign) usually mean clearing.
- NICE NG153 — NICE 2020 impetigo guideline: hydrogen peroxide 1% first if localised; then fusidic acid, oral flucloxacillin/clarithromycin; 5 days.
- NICE NG190 — NICE 2021: no routine antibiotics for infected eczema in a well child; fusidic acid or flucloxacillin 5–7 days if needed; check herpeticum.
Key Relations
Staphylococcus aureus [causes] Infected Eczema Herpes Simplex Virus [causes] Eczema Herpeticum Eczema Herpeticum [part-of] Infected Eczema Infected Eczema [relates] Impetigo NICE NG190 [defines] Infected Eczema Flucloxacillin [treats] Infected Eczema Fusidic Acid [treats] Infected Eczema Aciclovir [treats] Eczema Herpeticum Bleach Baths [relates] Staphylococcus aureus MRSA [part-of] Staphylococcus aureus Decolonisation [treats] MRSA Antimicrobial Resistance [causes] MRSA Impetigo [part-of] Infected Eczema Hydrogen Peroxide Cream [prevents] Impetigo NICE NG153 [regulates] Impetigo Mupirocin [treats] Impetigo Clarithromycin [treats] Impetigo Erythromycin [relates] Flucloxacillin Tetracyclines [relates] Clarithromycin Fucidin H [part-of] Fusidic Acid Bacteriotherapy [opposes] Staphylococcus aureus Roseomonas mucosa [part-of] Bacteriotherapy Molluscum Dermatitis [relates] Impetigo Staphylococcus aureus [part-of] Skin Microbiome Herpes Simplex Virus [triggers] Eczema Herpeticum Eczema Herpeticum [contradicts] Impetigo Infected Eczema [precedes] Eczema Herpeticum NICE NG190 [regulates] Flucloxacillin Flucloxacillin [treats] Staphylococcus aureus Fusidic Acid [treats] Staphylococcus aureus