In skin and soft-tissue infections, besides Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus species, which organism should also be considered?

In skin and soft-tissue infections, besides Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus species, which organism should also be considered?

• A. Candida albicans
• B. Staphylococcus aureus
• C. Escherichia coli
• D. Pseudomonas

Answer: (D)

In skin and soft-tissue infections, think beyond Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus when the presentation fits certain environmental or wound contexts. Pseudomonas aeruginosa should be considered because it thrives in moist environments and is a classic cause of SSTIs in settings such as hot-tub exposure (hot tub folliculitis), puncture wounds through rubber-soled shoes, burns, and wound infections in hospitalized or immunocompromised patients. These infections can be more challenging to treat due to tendency toward antibiotic resistance, so recognizing the scenario helps guide empiric therapy toward anti-pseudomonal coverage when indicated. Candida albicans is a fungus and more related to mucocutaneous or intertriginous infections rather than acute bacterial SSTIs; Escherichia coli can cause skin infections in some circumstances but is not the typical non-Staph/Strep pathogen to suspect in the common SSTI setting.

In skin and soft-tissue infections, think beyond Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus when the presentation fits certain environmental or wound contexts. Pseudomonas aeruginosa should be considered because it thrives in moist environments and is a classic cause of SSTIs in settings such as hot-tub exposure (hot tub folliculitis), puncture wounds through rubber-soled shoes, burns, and wound infections in hospitalized or immunocompromised patients. These infections can be more challenging to treat due to tendency toward antibiotic resistance, so recognizing the scenario helps guide empiric therapy toward anti-pseudomonal coverage when indicated. Candida albicans is a fungus and more related to mucocutaneous or intertriginous infections rather than acute bacterial SSTIs; Escherichia coli can cause skin infections in some circumstances but is not the typical non-Staph/Strep pathogen to suspect in the common SSTI setting.