How to tell if its an infection or not.

[BrokenBricks]

Mind if I nit pick?

They are Latin words not Roman words (not a language). And it is tumor not turgor.

Bacteria in your blood is bacterimia not sepsis. Brushing your teeth introduces bacteria into your blood. Sepsis is a clinical diagnosis and in the majority of cases bacteria are not isolated by blood cultures. Fever is not necessary to diagnose sepsis. Two or more of the following, Fever, elevated WBC count (or very very low WBC count), elevated heart rate or increased rate of breathing present with a suspected infection source (bacterial or otherwise) makes the diagnosis.

Also, that picture of cellulitis is very uncharacteristic. The UCSF site that picture comes from chose an unfortunate example. The look will tend to be more uniform, less busy and varied than that.

[MuscleScience]

Mind if I nit pick?

They are Latin words not Roman words (not a language). And it is tumor not turgor.

Bacteria in your blood is bacterimia not sepsis. Brushing your teeth introduces bacteria into your blood. Sepsis is a clinical diagnosis and in the majority of cases bacteria are not isolated by blood cultures. Fever is not necessary to diagnose sepsis. Two or more of the following, Fever, elevated WBC count (or very very low WBC count), elevated heart rate or increased rate of breathing present with a suspected infection source (bacterial or otherwise) makes the diagnosis.

Also, that picture of cellulitis is very uncharacteristic. The UCSF site that picture comes from chose an unfortunate example. The look will tend to be more uniform, less busy and varied than that.

I concede all of those points, I was writing for the lay person. Not to many know what bacteremia. Sepsis has more meaning to most people. I could have said blood poisoning...LOL

I learned it as turgor, roman or latin....

PM me changes that you propose and if you can find a better pic of cellulitus Your a better web surfer than I.

[BrokenBricks]

I like this picture. Many people with cellulitis have other conditions which have predisposed them to infection like poor circulation in an extremity. That in and of itself leads to skin changes which means that some pictures of infection are complicated by different pathology appearing in the same image. The garden variety cellulitis that the population of this web forum are most likely to see is represented well below. The entire left lower leg, dorsum of the foot and toes are affected. It is obviously swollen compared to the other extremity. Redness is present and is you were to touch both legs you would feel significantly more warmth on the left leg. It is terribly painful as well, much more so than an abscess. This responds well to antibiotics and this guy would be sent home with a ** for penicillin, a cephalosporin or Bactim from any ER. Abscesses must be incised and drained however.