Bacterial Infections

Botulism is a muscle-paralyzing disease caused by a toxin made by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum. The CDC has designated Clostridium botulinum as a Category A bioterrorism threat. Find out more about this potentially fatal disease.

Common Skin Infection

Humans are natural hosts for many bacterial species that colonize the skin as normal flora. Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes are infrequent resident flora, but they account for a wide variety of bacterial pyodermas. Predisposing factors to infection include minor trauma.

Causes and Risk Factors

Other bacteria that cause urinary tract infections include Staphylococcus saprophyticus (5 to 15% of cases), Chlamydia trachomatis, and Mycoplasma hominis.

Certain blood types enable bacteria to attach more easily to cells that line the urinary tract, causing recurrent urinary tract infections.

Unfortunately, the infection may persist for some time - for months as in your son's case or even years - but the lesions usually do go away by themselves without leaving scars.

It is unlikely that molluscum is directly related to the other medical problems you son has had. However, the disease can be worse than usual among people who have other conditions that affect the immune system.

Cellulitis is not usually recurrent. In patients with chronic lymphedema, however, there is a tendency both for the development of multiple lesions and for the occurrence of repeated episodes.

Treatments of Skin Rashs

Drug Treatment

Generally, a rosacea flare-up is treated with a combination of prescription drugs. A topical product (an antibiotic and/or another type of drug) may be applied to the affected areas and oral antibiotics may be taken, as well.

Oral Antibiotics

Short treatments (a few days or weeks) of an oral antibiotic, such as azithromycin, clarithromycin, doxycycline, erythromycin, minocycline, or tetracycline, may be given to control a flare-up. Frequently, these drugs are also used to treat teen acne.

Laser treatments (e.g., CO2 laser) can be used to treat plantar warts. Laser treatment is performed in a podiatrist's office or an outpatient surgery facility using local anesthesia. Lasers produce little scarring and are effective in most cases.

Cryotherapy involves freezing warts with a very cold solution (e.g., sodium nitride) that destroys the virus and causes the wart to turn black and fall off within a few days.

Prevention

Prevention of abrasions is possible by wearing protective pads and covering any exposed skin with a layer of clothing. Generally, you can predict when you will suffer an abrasion. So it is wise to have the necessary first aid supplies available in the event of an emergency.