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Impetigo denotes a superficial skin infection caused by Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A streptococcus) or Staphylococcus aureus, or both. Dermatologists encounter it as nonbullous impetigo, bullous impetigo, or "impetiginized" dermatitis, in which infection complicates underlying cutaneous inflammation, especially atopic eczema.
Most common in hot, moist climates and affecting young children much more frequently than adults, this disorder can be contagious, particularly in crowded and unhygienic living conditions. It typically forms on the extremities on previously damaged skin, for example, where there were insect bites, scratches, or abrasions. The lesions begin as red macules or papules that quickly become vesicles lyin…