There are a variety of skin infections that occur in humans.  Skin infections can be of the transitory type such as pimples, impetigo and cellulites or be lethal such as pneumonia and meningitis.  Between 1997 and 2005, the number of visits to emergency rooms for treatment of skin infections rose form 8.6 million to over 14 million (Hersh, University of California, San Francisco).  Majority of this increase was of patients suffering from abscesses or cellulites.

Causes

The human skin is exposed to many bacteria.  However, since it is an effective barrier for the body, it does an admirable job keeping the bacteria out.  It is only when there are cuts in the skin can elements like bacteria enter the body and cause infections.

There are two major types of bacterium strains that cause skin infections.

The bacterium staphylococcus aureus is the common cause of many skin infections.  While over a quarter of the general population can be ‘staph carriers’, it doesn’t mean they require treatment.  Staphylococcus aureas can cause several skin infections including boils, cellulites or carbuncles.