Cellulitis and staphylococcal and streptococcal skin infections
Cellulitis versus its mimics, purulent versus non-purulent infection, antibiotic choice and duration, abscess drainage, impetigo in remote communities, recurrent infection, and when to think of necrotising infection.
Tier 1Condition
Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- Cellulitis is infection of the dermis and subcutaneous fat. Erysipelas is the superficial form with a raised, sharply demarcated edge. Both are mostly streptococcal.
- Up to a third of patients admitted with "cellulitis" have something else. Bilateral red legs are rarely cellulitis.
- Split infections into non-purulent (streptococci) and purulent (S. aureus). Purulent infection needs drainage first.
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Sources
- Therapeutic Guidelines: Antibiotic. Skin and soft tissue infectionsAU/NZTherapeutic Guidelines Limited (eTG complete), Major update March 2025 (8-hourly higher-dose cefalexin option added; topic version not verified)
- National Healthy Skin Guideline: for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of skin infections for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and communities in Australia (2nd edition)AU/NZThe Kids Research Institute Australia and Australian Healthy Skin Consortium, 2nd edition, 2023
- Invasive group A streptococcal (iGAS) disease: CDNA national guidelines for public health unitsAU/NZCommunicable Diseases Network Australia, Australian Government Department of Health, CDNA-endorsed August 2023; current version on health.gov.au (republished September 2025)
- Practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of skin and soft tissue infections, 2014 updateInfectious Diseases Society of America (Clinical Infectious Diseases), 2014 (no newer IDSA version as of November 2026)
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
What changed
- 14 November 2026 Turnstile bot check on sign-in and signed-out feedback