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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffDoctors usually diagnose impetigo by considering signs and symptoms and medical history and looking at the distinctive sores. Your doctor will likely ask about any recent cuts, scrapes or insect bites to the affected area.
A culture may be necessary to confirm the diagnosis or to rule out another cause. During this test, your doctor uses a sterile swab to gently remove a small bit of pus or drainage from one of the sores. The sample is then cultured in a laboratory for the presence of bacteria.
- Habif, TP. Bacterial infections. In: Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby, Inc; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/103909824-2/0/1195/53.html?tocnode=51440785&fromURL=53.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-01319-8..50011-X_938. Accessed Aug. 11, 2008.
- Morelli JG. Cutaneous bacterial infections. In: Kliegman RM, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/103909824-3/743716949/1608/1552.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2450-7..50666-6--cesec5_12130. Accessed Aug. 11, 2008.
- Cole C, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of impetigo. American Family Physician. 2007;75(6):859-864, 868.
- Lopez FA, et al. Skin and soft tissue infections. Infectious Disease Clinics of North America. 2006;20(4):759-772.
- Community-associated MRSA information for the public. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_mrsa_ca_public.html. Accessed Aug. 11, 2008
- Baddour LM, et al. Impetigo. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 11, 2008.
