Criteria for skin infection – one or both of the following:
(1) presence of purulent drainage, pustules, vesicles or boils not explained by another cause
(2) both of the following:
(2a) 2 or more of the following
(2a1) localized pain
(2a2) localized tenderness
(2a3) redness
(2a4) localized swelling
(2a5) heat
(2b) no other recognized cause
(2c) 1 or more of the following
(2c1) positive blood cultures
(2c2) positive antigen test on blood or infected tissue
(2c3) positive serologic testing (diagnostic titer of an IgM antibody or 4-fold rise in IgG antibody in paired serum samples)
(2c4) presence of multinucleated giant cells on a microscopic examination of affected tissue
(2c5) pathogenic non-skin flora microorganisms cultured from aspirate or tissue drainage
(2c6) skin flora microorganisms cultured from aspirate or tissue drainage as a pure culture (not mixed)
where:
• Antigen tests may not be either sensitive or specific.
• Skin flora species = Corynebacerium, Propionibacterum, Micrococcus, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, Bacillus (other than B. anthracis)
