Impetigo is a bacterial infection caused by Streptococcus and/or Staphylococcus organisms. Both staphylococcus and streptococcus are part of the normal flora found on human skin, but given the opportunity they can become pathogenic. Streptococcus is a spherical bacterium that is arranged into chains. It is Gram positive and catalase negative. Group A Streptococcus (GAS), such as Streptococcus pyogenes, are responsible for most cases of streptococcal infections. The letter A is part of a classification system that separates streptococcal organisms according to the composition of the cell wall. Other illnesses associated with GAS are “strep throat”, necrotizing fasciitis, and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (4,9).Staphylococcus is arranged into clusters of spherical bacteria. They are Gram positive and catalase positive. Staphylococcus bacteria are classified into two major groups, aureus and non-aureus. Staphylococcus aureus is another organism that causes impetigo. It is distinguished from other species by a positive result in a coagulase test. Staphylococcus aureus is also associated with soft tissue infection as well as toxic shock syndrome and has been found to be the causative agent in pneumonia, boils, arthritis, meningitis and osteomyelitis. The pathogenic abilities of Staphylococcus are most commonly associated with the toxins it produces in the stationary phase of the bacterial growth curve (2). Impetigo involves an infection of the superficial, top layers, of the skin. It is characterized by the development of red blisters that start to rupture and ooze fluid. A yellowish or honey colored crust then develops. It usually effects the face, hands, arms, and legs but may spread to other areas by scratching. Occasionally a person will become ill experiencing symptoms like he...
