dermatologic disorders
Cellulitis
Diagnosis of Cellulitis
Examination Sometimes blood cultures Sometime tissue cultures Diagnosis of cellulitis is by examination. Contact Dermatitis and Blood cultures are useful to detect or rule out Bacteremia in patients who are immunocompromised and in patients who have signs of systemic infection (eg, fever and leukocytosis). Culture of involved tissue may be required in patients who are immunocompromised if they are not responding to empiric therapy or if blood cultures do not isolate an organism as well as in patients with cellulitis at the site of certain injuries (eg, animal bite wounds, penetrating injuries). Skin and wound cultures (when wounds are present) are generally not indicated in cellulitis because they rarely identify the infecting organism. Cutaneous Abscess should be ruled out based on clinical findings, although bedside ultrasonography may be useful. 