Oral Steroids Plus Antibiotics for Cellulitis

Cellulitis of the extremities and face, sometimes called erysipelas, is a common infection, usually caused by streptococci of various groups, typically A, B, C, and G. These organisms are difficult to isolate from clinical specimens, including cultures of blood, cutaneous aspirates, and skin biopsies, suggesting that the number of bacteria in tissue is small. Accordingly, much of the inflammation of cellulitis may arise from an immunologic reaction to bacterial antigens or extracellular products, such as streptokinase, DNAse, and hyaluronidase, rather than as a response to the presence of intact organisms. Using systemic corticosteroids to treat the inflammation, in addition to prescribing antibiotics to kill the bacteria, may therefore has…