Bacterial Skin Infections

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Bacterial skin infections are simply bacterial attacks on the skin which will give rise to invasion and multiplication of bacteria in dermis, epidermis, follicles and sub cutaneous tissue within the skin or may spread through the blood stream to become systemic.4

Humans are natural hosts and skin provides intricate habitat for many bacterial species. Therefore many bacteria come in contact and exist in skin. However most of them are unable to cause an infection as skin provides a remarkable barrier against infections by resisting the invasion.2 The capability of bacteria to cause an infection and its seriousness depends on host immunity, virulence and adherence capacity of the bacteria and environmental and local factors. Bacterial species become a pathogen when it circumvents the host defense mechanisms. Similarly in circumstances where the skin is injured or damaged bacteria can invade the skin and infections may occur.5,6

The host defense mechanisms against bacterial (or any other pathogen) include innate immunity which is nonspecific and
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Some microbes are inherently pathogenic where some are opportunistic pathogens. Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes are the two most common pathogenic bacteria that cause skin infections. Staphylococcus aureus is accounts for 20% to 40% of the skin and internal nares healthy humans without causing a harm, however it is the most common cause for cutaneous and systemic infections when it becomes a pathogen and HIV patients are most susceptible to the infection. Streptococcus groups A, B, C, D and G are most commonly characterized as pathogens where Streptococcus pyogenes is asymptomatically lives in the throat and infects when immune system is suppressed. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is found in moist environments and cause ecthyma gangrenosum occurs primarily in immunosuppressed