Abstract
Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) are amongst the most common infections encountered in clinical practice. Most infections do not result in skin or tissue necrosis; however, those that do are associated with a high mortality rate. In addition, because of the surreptitious presentation of the disease, clinical recognition is often delayed, resulting in rapid and overwhelming morbidity.
Necrotising skin and soft tissue infections (NSSTI) are a spectrum of conditions and their presentation can vary depending on the host and microbial factors. NSSTI can spread in the superficial skin layers causing a necrotising cellulitis, or within deeper skin layers along the fascial planes causing necrotising fasciitis (NF), and can occasionally invade muscles causing a necrotising pyomyositis. A variety of microorganisms may be responsible and common pathogens under certain conditions and in certain hosts may become aggressive and invasive, resulting in skin death despite adequate treatment.
A number of ‘hot topics’ on NSSTI were selected and reviewed by members of the Skin, Soft Tissue and Bone Infections Working Group of the International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (ISAC). This group includes international scientists, microbiology and infectious diseases clinicians and academics, whose aim is to advance the education and the science of infection management. This paper is an in-depth review of the current literature, providing a summary of the various NSSTI and expert opinions and insights from the authors’ own experience, highlighting areas for future study and research.
Necrotising skin and soft tissue infections (NSSTI) are a spectrum of conditions and their presentation can vary depending on the host and microbial factors. NSSTI can spread in the superficial skin layers causing a necrotising cellulitis, or within deeper skin layers along the fascial planes causing necrotising fasciitis (NF), and can occasionally invade muscles causing a necrotising pyomyositis. A variety of microorganisms may be responsible and common pathogens under certain conditions and in certain hosts may become aggressive and invasive, resulting in skin death despite adequate treatment.
A number of ‘hot topics’ on NSSTI were selected and reviewed by members of the Skin, Soft Tissue and Bone Infections Working Group of the International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (ISAC). This group includes international scientists, microbiology and infectious diseases clinicians and academics, whose aim is to advance the education and the science of infection management. This paper is an in-depth review of the current literature, providing a summary of the various NSSTI and expert opinions and insights from the authors’ own experience, highlighting areas for future study and research.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1-10 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents |
Volume | 52 |
Issue number | 1 |
Early online date | 6 Mar 2018 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jul 2018 |