Pyoderma Flashcards
How common are folliculitis/furunculosis in dogs vs cats?
- Common in dogs
- True folliculitis and furunculosis are uncommon in cats
What causes folliculitis and furunculosis in dogs?
- Usually secondary to underlying disease like allergies or endocrine
What causes cellulitis and abscesses most commonly in cats?
- Bite wounds
Name 4 normal residents of the skin
- Staphylococcus sp (coagulase negative and positive)
- Micrococcus sp
- Streptococcus sp
- Acinetobacter sp
Transient flora - what do they do?
- Colonize abnormal skin
- Generally do not penetrate and cause infection
- Often secondary to Staph infected skin
Examples of gram neg transient organisms?
- E. coli
- Proteus mirabilis
- Pseudomonas
Examples of gram pos transient organisms?
- Staph sp (coagulase positive and negative)
- Corynebacterium sp
- Streptococcus
Which type of Staph are we most concerned about with skin infections?***
- Staph pseudintermedius**
- Staph. schleiferi (coagulase positive)*
- Rarely Staph aureus (think horses and humans)
What should you think if you culture Staph aureus from a skin sample of a dog?
- THINK contamination
Normal resistance mechanism of Staph and implications for antibiotic choice
- Beta-lactamase positive
- Any of the -cillins are ineffective
How long does it take for cells from the stratum basal to turnover and go the stratum corneum again?
- 21 days to turn over
How do keratinocytes help with infection prevention?
- Very tightly packed together
- Langerhans are the surveillance cells to prevent infection
MRSP
- Methicillin-resistance Staph pseudintermedius
- Growing concern in dogs and cats
Skin’s physical barrier to infection
- Stratum corneum, hair
Skin’s physiologic barrier to infection
- Skin cell turnover rate, sebum
Immunologic barriers to infection in skin
- Langerhans’ cells
- Lymphocytes, etc.
- Sweat
Bacterial barriers to infection in skin
- Normal bacterial flora
What three types of disease process can happen that predispose to pyodermas?
- Alteration of barrier function (e.g. allergies)
- Alters microenvironment of the skin
- SUppresses the immune system
How do pathogenic bacteria invade?
- Adhere to skin, colonize, then infect abnormal skin
What layer is below the dermis?
- Panniculus
What is surface pyoderma?
- SKin erosions with secondary adherence and colonization of abnormal skin surface by coagulase positive staph
- NOT folliculitis
- Surface irritation
Is surface colonization folliculitis?
- No
Pathophysiology of skin fold dermatitis
- Anatomical defects create warm moist environment for bacterial adherence and colonization
Clinical signs of skin fold dermatitis
- Erythema, alopecia, exudation within skin folds
- May be pruritic
- Have offense odor
Types of skin fold dermatitis
- Facial fold
- Lip fold
- Vulvar fold
- Tail fold
- Mammary fold
- Obesity fold
- Body fold
Differentials for skin fold dermatitis?
- Malassezia
- Is it surface colonization or deeper? Did pruritus come first? What is colonizing the surface?
Diagnosis of skin fold dermatitis?
- History
- PE
- Scrape
- Surface cytology (“tape”, cotton swab, or impression)
- response to treatment
How do you treat skin fold dermatitis?
- many can be managed medically with shampoos, wipes, sprays, mousse, ointment
Products to use for skin fold dermatitis
- Topical abx such as chlorhexidine, mupirocin ointment, benzoyl peroxide
- Topical antifungal if cytology reveals yeast
- Antifungal/antibacterial combination products
- DO NOT use combo produtcs with steroids!
Appearance of malassezia?
- Little bowling balls
Other treatments for skin fold dermatitis
- Weight reduction if obese (vulvar fold, mammary fold)
- Keep fold dry!
- May need systemic antibiotics (deeper infection implied!)
- Surgery
What is a true hotspot?
- Pyotraumatic dermatitis
SIgnalment of pyotraumatic dermatitis or hospots
- Thick coated, long haired breeds
Clinical signs of pyotraumatic dermatitis
- Alopecia, erythema, exudation, ulceration
- Lesion is well demarcated from normal skin
- Pruritus and pain
- SUmmer months on caudal dorsal back (think flea allergy)
Pathophysiology of pyotraumatic dermatitis
- Self trauma
- Rule out underlying causes - why is the dog scratching?
What should you be considering with pyotraumatic dermatitis as a idfferential?
- Fleas #1
- Allergies
- Other ectoparasites (e.g. demodex)
2 questions you must answer to diagnose pyotraumatic dermatosis
- Is this a surface colonization or deeper infection? (lesions around the face are usually deep lesions, not true hotspots)
- If surface, is it colonized by a bacteria or yeast?
Diagnosis of pyotraumatic dermatitis
- PE
- SKin scraping (r/o demodicosis)
- Cytology
- response to treatment
Treatment of pyotraumatic dermatitis
- Treat underlying cause for pruritus (e.g. flea control!)
- Clip and clean
- TOpical antibiotics
- Astringents
- Antipruritus
- True surface colonization does not require systemic antibiotics, but most are no true surface infections
Abx to use for pyotraumatic dermatitis?
- Chlorhexidine (spray, wipes, shampoo, mousse)
- Mupirocin ointment
Antipruritics to use for pyotraumatic dermatitis
- Topical anesthetics (lidocaine, pramoxine)
- Oral steroids
- Cytopoint
- APoquel
Definition of superficial pyoderma
- Infection restricted to under the stratum corneum or within the ostia of the hair follicles
What is impetigo?
- Puppy pyoderma
Where is the infection (in the dermis and distribution) with impetigo?
- Just beneath the stratum corneum of the non-haired areas
- AXILLAE and inguinal region
Underlying causes for impetigo
- Parasitism
- Viral infections
- Dirty environment
- Poor nutrition
Are dogs with impetigo usually pruritic?
- Not usually
Lesions in dogs with impetigo
- Papules
- Pustules
- Crusts
- Epidermal colarettes
- Crusted papules
- Hyperpigmented macules
Distribution of lesions with impetigo
- Axilla and inguinal region
Age of dogs with impetigo
- <1 year of age
What should you think if impetigo recurs?
- Food allergies
- It’s not normally recurring
Diagnosis of impetigo
- Hx, physical exam
- Scrapings to rule out demodicosis
- Cytology shows neutrophils with bacterial cocci
- Response to tx
Dfdx for impetigo
- Demodicosis and dermatophytosis
Treatment for impetigo
- Can be self limiting
- Topical (chlorhexidine or mupirocin ointment)
- Systemic antibiotics
What is folliculitis/
- Superficial bacterial folliculitis
- This is often referred to as pyoderma
Where does folliculitis start?
- Ostia of a hair follicle and spread outward under the stratum corneum
Ostia
= Entrance of the hair follicle
Clinical signs of folliculitis
- Papules, pustules, crust, epidermal collarettes, patchy alopecia (“moth-eaten” especially in short coated breeds which can be mistaken for hives