The skin is a protective barrier that shields the body from contamination by viruses, bacteria and toxins. Small cuts and abrasions can lead to big problems once infection sets in. Damage to the skin compromises the body’s ability to fight off infections by providing an unobstructed route into the bloodstream. Once there, organisms can travel throughout the body and cause a host of common skin infections.
Acute Injury Infections
Anytime the skin is broken, by anything from a paper cut to a stab wound, an acute injury infection can occur. Wounds incurred through accidents, sports-related injuries, burns, or other forms of trauma are vulnerable to infection as pathogens pass through the broken skin and enter the bloodstream. A number of different microbes are known to cause infection at sites of acute injury. Staphylococcus aureus and group A streptococcus are bacteria that are most commonly implicated in cases of acute injury infection, according to the "Journal of Emergency Medicine."
Ulceration Infections
Ulcers are open wounds and thus vulnerable to infection, according to the European Wound Management Association. Symptoms of infection in ulcers includes pain, swelling and oozing of fluids from the wound. A number of different types of ulcerations can contribute to the occurrence of wound infections.
Ulcerations of the skin can plague elderly patients due to pressure on body parts. Pressure ulcers are a common cause of suffering and substantial morbidity, writes Christina Lindholm, PhD in the journal "Ostomy Wound Management." This is a common problem during sustained periods of inactivity, which are frequent in nursing homes and hospital settings.
Diabetic patients often experience ulcers of the feet, due to nerve and blood vessel related complications of their disease. Robert G. Frykberg, a podiatrist at Des Moines University, states that foot infections are the leading cause of hospitalization among diabetes patients.
Increased venous blood pressure in the calves can result when blood pools in smaller veins after the valves in larger veins are damaged. This increased pressure causes leg ulcers in some patients.
Surgical Site Infections
Despite the surgeon’s best efforts, it is relatively common for infections to develop at the site of surgical incisions. DermNet NZ reports that surgical wound infections are the most common source of infections acquired while a patient is hospitalized.
The overuse of antibiotics has enabled bacteria to evolve into drug-resistant strains that greatly challenge the ability of health facilities to maintain a sterile environment. These drug resistant strains called methicillin resistant staphylococcus, or MSRA, pose increased risks for those who have previously used antibiotics, been admitted to intensive care or use a catheter or other medical device which penetrates the skin. Skin contact with an MSRA-infected person can transfer the bacteria and cause wound infection.
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