Medical Encyclopedia

Impetigo is a skin infection that usually produces blisters or sores on the face, neck, hands and diaper area mostly among kids. The infection is generally caused by the bacteria belonging to the staphylococcus group, mainly staphylococcus aureus or streptococcus. The particularity of the disease is that it is likely to develop after the skin has been irritated by other skin disorders, such as eczema, poison ivy and insect bites. Moreover, it may occur after a sore or a rash has been scratched repetitively. As it causes severe itching, those suffering from the disease are prone to scratch the sores and then touch other parts of the body. Impetigo spreads to anyone who comes in contact with the infected skin or other items, such as clothing, towels, bed linens which have previously been touched by the infected skin. Thus, Impetigo proves to be a contagious skin infection.

Topical medications are applied to the skin for the localized treatment of various skin disorders. Topical manifestations of fusidic acid include creams and ointments. Fucidin cream is an antibiotic for treatment of impetigo and infections secondary to burns of the skin. It contains two active ingredients. They are Hydrocortisone and Fusidic acid. The combination of hydrocortisone and fusidic acid is used to treat eczema, primary irritant dermatitis and allergic and seborrheic dermatitis which are infected with the bacteria and where the organisms responsible are known to be sensitive to fusidic acid.

Fucidin is an effective drug against several bacterial species. It is considered to be an antibiotic applied to the skin for the treatment of various skin infections caused by certain kinds of bacteria, as a rule, by Staphylococcus aureus.

Paronychia is one of the skin disorders caused by staphylococci. It is characterized as an infection of the skin, which hangs over the side of the nail, in other words, it is an infection of the skin around the nail bed. Predisposing factors may include overzealous manicuring, nail biting, thumbsucking. The most common bacteria responsible are staphylococcus aureus. The disorder starts as a red, warm and painful swelling of the skin around the nail. It may progress to the formation of pus separating the nail from the skin. The disease may turn into a chronic one when the skin around the nail gets boggy and the nail has a green discoloration due to the infection.

Systemic antibiotic treatment with Fucidin is usually appointed to those patients having more extensive disease, deeper infections with the evidence of systematic spread of the infection.

Fusidic acid may be applied orally in two forms: a tablet (250mg) and a suspension (50 mg/ml). The oral treatment is accepted in case of bone and joint infections or skin and soft tissue infections due to penicillinase-producing and non- penicillinase producing strains of Staphylococcus aureus.