Bullous impetigo

Definition

Bullous impetigo is a contagious superficial infection of the skin caused by certain strains of Staphylococcus aureus which release toxins into the local environment which are capable of cleaving desmoglein I, a protein involved in intercellular adhesion of epidermal keratinocytes. In contrast to the very superficial, rapidly shed and rarely observed blisters of non-bullous impetigo, the bullae of bullous impetigo are tense and well demarcated, sometimes reaching several centimetres in diameter before rupture.

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