Human contagious ectima is a skin infection, caused by streptococcus-like bacteria, which causes small, deep, painful wounds to appear on the skin, especially in people who live in hot and humid environments or who do not have proper hygiene.
There is also another type of ectime caused by the development of bacteria of the type Pseudomonas aeruginosa, known as gangrenous ectime, which causes red spots on the skin that develop into blisters that burst and cause wounds with a dark background.
Both cases of ectima are curable, but treatment must be done rigorously for several weeks, to ensure that all bacteria are eliminated and to prevent a more serious infection from developing throughout the body.
Main symptoms
In addition to the deep and painful sore on the skin, the contagious ectima can cause other symptoms such as:
- Thick, yellowish-gray cone that appears over the wound; Painful tongues near the affected area; Redness and swelling around the wound.
Generally, these symptoms appear in the legs, but they can evolve and affect other places like the thighs or the buttocks, for example.
The gangrenous ectima, on the other hand, only causes the appearance of dark lesions that worsen until it causes a generalized infection of the organism, which can be life-threatening. Wounds of this type are usually more common in the genital region and armpits.
How to confirm the diagnosis
The diagnosis is usually made by a dermatologist by observing the lesions and symptoms, but it may be necessary to make a laboratory evaluation of a piece of the wound to identify the type of bacteria and confirm the diagnosis in order to adjust the treatment., for example.
How the treatment is done
The treatment is initiated only with the care of the wounds in the hospital by a nurse, since, the proper hygiene of the place, is able to control the growth of bacteria. During this period you must:
- Avoid sharing towels, sheets or clothes that are in contact with injuries; Frequently change towels and clothes that are in contact with injuries; Remove the cones only in the bath and when indicated by the nurse; Wash hands after contacting the wound area.
When the wound treatment is not able to control the worsening of the infection, antibiotic ointments can also be used to control the amount of bacteria.
However, if the infection continues to get worse, it may be necessary to take antibiotics, such as Penicillin, Cephalexin or Erythromycin, to fight all bacteria in the body, especially when the infection is suspected to have spread to other parts of the body.
Surgery is generally more common in the type of gangrenous ectima to help remove all dark tissue, in order to facilitate the treatment and healing of wounds.
