Furunculosis in Infant/Neonate
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Synopsis

Clinically, furuncles are painful (particularly when in the nose or ear canal). They often appear in crops. Patients may describe purulent drainage. They usually occur on the face, neck, axillae, buttocks, thighs, and perineum. When on the central face, cavernous sinus thrombosis is a rare complication. Lesions may continue to develop for months to years, but individual lesions often heal spontaneously within 2-3 weeks.
MRSA first emerged as an important nosocomial pathogen in the 1960s. In more recent years, community-acquired outbreaks of MRSA (CA-MRSA) have been described increasingly among healthy individuals lacking the traditional risk factors for such infections. These strains have a propensity for causing abscesses, furunculosis, and folliculitis and have a unique antibiotic susceptibility profile from health care-associated strains of MRSA.
Immunocompromised patients have a significantly increased risk of developing both MSSA and MRSA furunculosis. HIV-infected patients are approximately 20 times more likely to develop skin and soft tissues infections caused by MRSA. Risk factors for MRSA infection in this population are low current CD4 cell count and recent beta-lactam antibiotic use.
Codes
ICD10CM:L02.92 – Furuncle, unspecified
SNOMEDCT:
416675009 – Furuncle
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Differential Diagnosis & Pitfalls
- Abscess
- Epidermoid cyst
- Molluscum contagiosum
- Pilomatricoma – Usually solitary, sometimes multiple.
- Thyroglossal duct cyst – Located at the midline neck.
- Arthropod bites
- Myiasis – Usually not chronic and recurrent and only a single or few in number.
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Last Reviewed:03/22/2018
Last Updated:06/14/2018
Last Updated:06/14/2018
Furunculosis in Infant/Neonate
See also in: Hair and Scalp