skin disorders
Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome
Diagnosis of Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome
A doctor's evaluation Sometimes a tissue biopsy and cultures The diagnosis of staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome is made by the appearance of skin peeling after an apparent staphylococcal infection. If no signs of staphylococcal infection are seen, doctors may do a biopsy, in which a small piece of skin is removed and sent to the laboratory to be tested. Swabs taken from the nose, the thin mucous membrane that covers the eyes (conjunctiva), the throat, and the nasal passages and upper throat (nasopharynx), samples of blood and urine, and samples taken from the area where doctors think the infection started (such as the umbilical cord or skin) are sent to the laboratory to be cultured for bacteria. 