Author Topic: Is Impetigo an Opportunistic Infection? (Read 25581 times)

OutOfDarkness · « **on:** July 17, 2008, 06:25:26 pm »

I was wondering if anyone knows or has had problems with it. I am having episodes that do not seem to react completley with antibiotic Mupirocin cream it only seems to control it.

I looked up OIs and did not see this listed as one. Anyone have any suggestions? I constantly wash hands, keep the area clean, etc.

newt · « **Reply #1 on:** July 17, 2008, 06:49:08 pm »

In short, no

- matt

OutOfDarkness · « **Reply #2 on:** July 17, 2008, 07:07:33 pm »

Hi matt,

Do you know anything else about it? Why won't it go away? I would think that my immune system would be helping to fight it.

J.R.E. · « **Reply #3 on:** July 17, 2008, 07:47:20 pm »

Hello ,

Maybe this link can give you some additional info. Do you have children around the house?

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/impetigo/DS00464

Ray

Anna Karenina · « **Reply #4 on:** July 24, 2008, 09:12:00 am »

Hi! this is the first time I have posted so I'll quickly introduce myself. My name is Anna and I'm a 24 year old female living in Australia. I'm also about to qualify as a medical scientist (in a molecular virology/immunology area) and have been assisting with research in molecular virology - the lab I am in is working on a new target for anti-retroviral drugs which is why I joined this forum, you are all amazingly inspiring to me and reading your posts has helped me get an idea of the human side of HIV infection and also the crappy side effects of many of these drugs. I'd like to give back by posting info about new research going on in the field, answering questions about the science or interpreting technical data and test results for you guys (as much as I can, I'm very much still a noob at this and definitely a far cry from a real medical doctor)

Impetigo IS a common bacterial skin condition for people infected with HIV in fact it is the one most commonly reported. You have to be careful of this because the bacteria that is responsible (staph aureus) can get into the bloodstream (if you break the blistered skin from scratching or if ulcers form after bursting etc - TRY not to do this as impetigo blisters break easily!!) and spread to other parts of the body and a nasty infection like this is something you want to avoid. What you said about your cream not working - mupirocin cream is the standard working treatment for impetigo so if it is still persisting ( and this may have absolutely nothing to do with you being positive) I believe a quick course of oral antibiotics can usually knock it on the head. Have a talk to your GP about this as soon as you can about treating this just to avoid any chance of infection spreading. And everything you are doing with keeping things clean and washing everything is great too.

All the best!
Anna

newt · « **Reply #5 on:** July 24, 2008, 02:05:27 pm »

On eradication

It is also possible to be "colonised" ie the bacteria is difficult to eradicate from your skin cos it lives all over. This is fairly common.

If topical cream don't work, then a well-chosen broad spectrum oral antibiotic is the way to go.
Erythromycin is good but difficult, me, personally, I'd be looking for a more modern, non-penicillin based drug. Cephalexin would be a typical choice. But there are many.

7-10 days is usually enough.

If it don't clear up with oral antibiotics then some kind of antibiotic resistant bug must be suspected and treated accordingly. A smart doc would take a swab and make a culture.

Since Staph is endemic in the community, prevention, eg proper hand washing, is an essential part of management.

- matt

OutOfDarkness · « **Reply #6 on:** July 26, 2008, 09:18:32 pm »

Thanks for your help it is very informative and will be discussing this at my next appointment this week.

weasel · « **Reply #7 on:** July 28, 2008, 09:27:53 pm »

IT IS AN OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTION !

IT IS HOW I FOUND OUT I HAD AIDS !

I had to take TWO regimes of AUGMENTON !

It is a belly breaker ! but it works !

Impetigo can kill you !

it spreads to other people quite easily !

the yellow pussy stuff is VERY contagious .

BEST of luck with getting rid of it !

WASH all your bed cloths and linens often !

try not to touch your pussy pimpoles , I keep mine covered when they get bad !

Mine has returned three times ? go figure ?

Karl

Matty the Damned · « **Reply #8 on:** July 28, 2008, 09:41:44 pm »

Actually Kurt, impetigo is not an opportunistic infection in the traditional AIDS sense.

MtD

Anna Karenina · « **Reply #9 on:** July 28, 2008, 10:56:14 pm »

Karl (weasle) is correct matty Impetigo really is an opportunistic skin infection very common in people with HIV (and he is right about the dangers too), I'm unsure what you mean about in the traditional AIDS sense?

here is a pretty good reference for skin problems associated with HIV

http://www.dermcoll.asn.au/public/a-z_of_skin-hiv_and_the_skin.asp

Matty the Damned · « **Reply #10 on:** July 29, 2008, 12:25:24 am »

We'll have to agree to disagree "Anna".

MtD

newt · « **Reply #11 on:** July 29, 2008, 07:05:17 am »

What matty said

putting aside that any infection could rather (pointlessly) be called opportunistic, impetigo is not an AIDS-defining opportunistic infection.

it's not on the CDC list, so it's not getting in.

But good on weasel's doc for having a high index of suspicion for HIV based on (I guess) presentation of a serious case of disseminated impetigo

- matt

Ann · « **Reply #12 on:** July 29, 2008, 07:07:57 am »

Anna,

Impetigo is not an OI in the traditional AIDS sense because it is common in the population as a whole, not just with hiv positive people. That's why it doesn't appear in the OI Lesson found elsewhere on this website. http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/OIs_4898.shtml

Sure, people with hiv might get impetigo, but they also get the common cold. That doesn't make a cold an OI.

Newt posted while I was typing away... and what he said too. About the CDC. I forgot about that.

I appreciate that you want to "give back", but I'd like to leave you with an Olde English saying.... "don't teach your grandmother how to suck eggs."

All the best,
Ann

weasel · « **Reply #13 on:** July 29, 2008, 10:51:40 am »

WELL I NEVER ! KARL

*****************************************************************************************

"don't teach your grandmother how to suck eggs."

All the best,
Ann

[/quote]

Ann · « **Reply #14 on:** July 29, 2008, 02:33:52 pm »

Karl,

You never what? Taught your granny how to suck eggs?

weasel · « **Reply #15 on:** July 29, 2008, 04:58:58 pm »

is that some sort of BITCHY COMMENT !

YOU CAN SUCK THIS YOU BITCH !

LOVE , Karl

p.s. I do not and have never sucked anything on a bicth !

Ann · « **Reply #16 on:** July 29, 2008, 05:05:24 pm »

Quote from: weasel on July 29, 2008, 04:58:58 pm

is that some sort of BITCHY COMMENT !

YOU CAN SUCK THIS YOU BITCH !

LOVE , Karl

p.s. I do not and have never sucked anything on a bicth !

Karl,

I really hope you're joking. You might want to read the posting guidelines found in our Welcome Thread

Ann

weasel · « **Reply #17 on:** July 29, 2008, 06:43:11 pm »

yes joking !

just like your comment to me ! surely a joke !

because from where I come from ,YOUR comments means something NOT very nice .
and I am always open to a tit for a tat !

If you ment no offence ,then except my faux paw ! as a one time incident !

I find that some info on this web page is very one sided !

I feel if my doctor tells me my MRSA is an opertunistic infection ! I.E. impetigo !

than this must be a fact !

In most cases only babies get impetigo ,at least in the USA .

If you are located elswhere ,where health and cleanliness are an issue , than YOUR facts are different than mine !

BUT to tell someone it is NOT ,is just false , or at best ,empitigo should NOT be overlooked as a common cold !

******************************************************

Have YOU never watched old movies ?

"WELL I NEVER " is a very old and famous quote !

oh well , it's 105 and hot .

with love to all my AIDS freinds , karl

Matty the Damned · « **Reply #18 on:** July 29, 2008, 06:45:53 pm »

Hey Karl,

To prevent misunderstanding like this one in the future, you should use smileys

to indicate when you're joking.

MtD

weasel · « **Reply #19 on:** July 29, 2008, 06:50:01 pm »

Hey matty ,
I'm NOT the brightest BULB on the tree !

I have tried to make those smilely things work : ( , they don't .

I really should fiquer it out .

It took a few months to put a picture on , with help from a few of you guys !

I will learn .

smiley face here ! , Karl

OutOfDarkness · « **Reply #20 on:** July 29, 2008, 08:03:51 pm »

Geez Karl - my P----y Pimpoles - what is that all about? I could think of a million other things to say that would be less offensive. And don't think that just because I am a female that I can't handle what your saying. I think your just being a tiny bit offensive, unnecessarily.

Matty the Damned · « **Reply #21 on:** July 29, 2008, 08:06:17 pm »

Out,

I'm pretty sure that Karl was referring to the pustules associated with impetigo and wasn't trying to be rude to you. His advice about how to prevent impetigo transmission is correct.

I don't think you should be offended.

MtD

OutOfDarkness · « **Reply #22 on:** July 29, 2008, 08:37:48 pm »

mmmm, i dunno about that, I think he should clarify what he means really. Or not.

Matty the Damned · « **Reply #23 on:** July 29, 2008, 08:42:38 pm »

Well Out, it's up to you what you think.

I can tell you that Karl has some trouble navigating the forums software and that may impact on how clearly he expresses himself sometimes. He's been a forums member for a couple of years and I've never seen him be gratuitously offensive or rude to people in the past.

I doubt he's gonna start now.

MtD

Anna Karenina · « **Reply #24 on:** July 29, 2008, 10:21:38 pm »

I think that we are just quarreling on terms here hey. I didn't mean to imply it was an 'AIDs defining illness', because you are totally right it isn't. I classified it as an opportunistic infection using the working definition of an opportunistic infection (which does not just refer to HIV/AIDS) that I have been taught. Hopefully I haven't been taught a load of rubbish lol but you know, I do go to uni in Australia so who knows

. Does it occur more commonly in people with disease X than the general population? Yes. Does the infection tend to progress more seriously in people with disease X than in the general population? Yes.

I'm not trying to be obnoxious or argumentative I swear!! sometimes I am obnoxious, but not today

that saying, gave me the funniest (yet very disturbing) mental image of my own grandmother.

Matty the Damned · « **Reply #25 on:** July 29, 2008, 10:40:23 pm »

In an forum designed to provide support and fellowship for HIV positive people the term "opportunistic infection" has a particular and unambiguous meaning.

You'd probably do well to remember that in future.

MtD

Anna Karenina · « **Reply #26 on:** July 30, 2008, 03:17:35 am »

I still stand by the fact that it is an opportunistic infection because it more commonly infects HIV+ people than the normal population and it progresses into a more serious illness more often, and I don't see how that information can possibly NOT be helpful even if it isn't on the list of AIDS defining illnesses, it is still an opportunistic infection

matty you aren't a very friendly sounding chap, not to me anyway, the last few posts I've posted you seem to pick at innocuous things I say and act like I'm doing something wrong by talking or giving my opinion?? I can't imagine what I've done to offend you

Ann · « **Reply #27 on:** July 30, 2008, 07:45:37 am »

Anna,

It may help you to know that over the years, we've had a fair number of hiv negative people join to "give back" and "give advice". They've been well-meaning, as I'm sure you are. However, that advice can often rankle.

Why? Because no matter how well-meaning a person may be, if you're not living with this bug or in a very close relationship with someone living with this bug, quite often the advice falls short of the mark.

And in this case, yours has. If the CDC doesn't list impetigo as an hiv opportunistic infection, then it isn't. It's simple as that. As someone else said, many people come here for information and we like to keep the information as accurate as possible. Impetigo is NOT considered an opportunistic infection in the strict sense of the term. In the sense that you are calling it one, then there are many, many conditions that could be considered an OI. They're not.

As you seem to be in the field of research, perhaps that's the forum you should limit yourself to. Otherwise, you run the risk of annoying people. I'm not saying this is something you HAVE to do, but please, think about it and bear what I've said to you in mind.

Be well,
Ann

newt · « **Reply #28 on:** July 30, 2008, 12:39:53 pm »

Dearly beloved all,

making strong statements like "it more commonly infects HIV+ people than the normal population and it progresses into a more serious illness more often" requires referencing (at least while i am alive n kicking)

I have had difficulty finding even one to support this statement for impetigo with any great strength.

Anna, since impetigo occurs with high frequency in people with normal immune systems, it's kinda ruled out the general definition you offer, which I agree is correct (an infection that occurs because of a weakened immune system, often caused by an organism that does not normally cause harm).

The CDC list is obviously and deliberately restricted in scope. The conditions it gives are clearly not the only way we may become ill when our immune systems are low, but this list covers the biggie ones we're interested in, because they are the conditions associated with late-stage HIV infection. They usually mean we're in deep shit.

This is not to say docs shouldn't pay attention to other illnesses (they should) or that these can't be serious.

- matt

OutOfDarkness · « **Reply #29 on:** July 31, 2008, 06:06:57 pm »

Hey all,
Just got back from my check up and although I have a prescription for Bactrim to treat this pain in the ars thing, it is also on my scalp, but the doc claims that everyone gets it and it is a pain to get rid of for everyone. I think the newt came closest with this one! I just cant wait to get rid of it, it is quite the nuisance. It seems to start to go away on it's own and then, BAM, there it is back again the next day! I am an avid hand washer and housekeeper, kind of a germaphobe, my cleaners must have some bleach in them!

I hear what newt is saying about the opportunistic infections for hiv and my doc didn't seem concerned at all that this may be a sign of hiv problems

Thank you all for the clarity on some things. Peace.

Anna Karenina · « **Reply #30 on:** August 01, 2008, 04:43:04 am »

Ann,

I totally understand that my advice may rankle people as it is coming from a HIV-, I am very wary of that and I wanted to avoid it at all costs. But I would never give advice about the living or the handling side only the medical science side (and I'm still a bit of a noob so I won't be right 100% of the time and this is further complicated by the fact that everything is a damn argument between two or more points of view (or egos?) when it comes to science). I will be more careful in future though and thanks for the heads up

Dachshund · « **Reply #31 on:** August 01, 2008, 09:33:27 am »

Quote from: Anna Karenina on August 01, 2008, 04:43:04 am

Ann,

I totally understand that my advice may rankle people as it is coming from a HIV-, I am very wary of that and I wanted to avoid it at all costs. But I would never give advice about the living or the handling side only the medical science side (and I'm still a bit of a noob so I won't be right 100% of the time and this is further complicated by the fact that everything is a damn argument between two or more points of view (or egos?) when it comes to science). I will be more careful in future though and thanks for the heads up

I hope you can understand that giving "advice" on the medical side as you call it, has nothing to do with ego and everything to do with accuracy. You better be right 100% of the time, or you'll be called on your mistake, simple as that.

Until you've experienced the joy of an opportunistic infection as a person living with HIV, I wouldn't be quite so cavalier. There are many newly diagnosed people reading, that don't need any extra worry, as they sort their way through living with HIV.

I hope you will respect our feelings as people living with HIV and not let your ego get in the way.

Peter Staley · « **Reply #32 on:** August 01, 2008, 11:48:49 am »

I'm of mixed feeling about Anna's participation here. She's actually more of an "expert" on the medical stuff than 95% of our members here, so I'd hate to tell her to go take a hike just because she's HIV negative. Let's face it, we get a HUGE number of posts about our own anecdotal experiences that can be very misleading to other readers, especially the newly infected. And we certainly don't discourage these postings -- that would defeat the purpose of these forums -- sharing our experiences with each other.

So when someone comes along that has a high level of medical knowledge in HIV/AIDS, I'm loath to tell her to scram.

This all reminds me of my ACT UP days. Some of the best HIV treatment activists were HIV negative. I would be dead today if our Treatment & Data Committee had told them they weren't allowed to work with us. They joined us, and became amazing activists, simply because they cared. Much like Anna.

That said, I don't want to open the doors of our HIV positive forums to any HIV negative person who "just wants to help." Having good intentions is NEVER enough in my book. You gotta bring something very important to the table. In this case, it's Anna's expertise, along with her generally good forums etiquette.

As far as I can tell, she's been offering good advice. Sure, she got into a largely semantic squabble about the definition of an OI (I think everyone had a point, there's the CDC AIDS-defining OI, and the general scientific definition of an OI), but that shouldn't bar her from offering additional advice here.

By the way, Andy Velez is HIV negative. But I decided long ago that his expertise, along with his caring nature, were huge assets we could all benefit from. And I was right.

My two cents.

Peter Staley
Founder
AIDSmeds.com

Dachshund · « **Reply #33 on:** August 01, 2008, 12:40:06 pm »

Before my words are misconstrued, I want to make it crystal clear that I have no problem with anyone positive or negative offering sound, concrete, advice in the forums. I've sought the advice in public and in private of both HIVWorker and Gerry, both negative forum members who have forgotten more about HIV the the majority of us will ever know. I miss their valuable expertise when it comes to HIV.

However, and I may be wrong, but in my humble opinion Anna seemed to be suggesting that by pointing out a difference of opinion to her argument, folks were just being argumentative or basing it all on ego. I find that argument just a tad patronizing. Especially when you see who was responding, and read their responses.

Anywho, welcome to the forums.

Anna Karenina · « **Reply #34 on:** August 03, 2008, 10:33:20 am »

Quote from: Peter Staley on August 01, 2008, 11:48:49 am

I'm of mixed feeling about Anna's participation here. She's actually more of an "expert" on the medical stuff than 95% of our members here, so I'd hate to tell her to go take a hike just because she's HIV negative. Let's face it, we get a HUGE number of posts about our own anecdotal experiences that can be very misleading to other readers, especially the newly infected. And we certainly don't discourage these postings -- that would defeat the purpose of these forums -- sharing our experiences with each other.

So when someone comes along that has a high level of medical knowledge in HIV/AIDS, I'm loath to tell her to scram.

This all reminds me of my ACT UP days. Some of the best HIV treatment activists were HIV negative. I would be dead today if our Treatment & Data Committee had told them they weren't allowed to work with us. They joined us, and became amazing activists, simply because they cared. Much like Anna.

That said, I don't want to open the doors of our HIV positive forums to any HIV negative person who "just wants to help." Having good intentions is NEVER enough in my book. You gotta bring something very important to the table. In this case, it's Anna's expertise, along with her generally good forums etiquette.

As far as I can tell, she's been offering good advice. Sure, she got into a largely semantic squabble about the definition of an OI (I think everyone had a point, there's the CDC AIDS-defining OI, and the general scientific definition of an OI), but that shouldn't bar her from offering additional advice here.

By the way, Andy Velez is HIV negative. But I decided long ago that his expertise, along with his caring nature, were huge assets we could all benefit from. And I was right.
My two cents.

Peter Staley
Founder
AIDSmeds.com

Thanks Peter, I'm awful for getting into semantic arguments and I feel that you bailed me out of that one, I've got to learn to let that stuff go lol (that's when my partly obnoxious nature comes out!) but you made me feel very welcome here and I'm more detemined than ever to contribute to this community.

Dachshund please forgive me you are right I was really being just argumentative because I've been taught for so long to be that way (at uni). I'm not backing down or saying that I was wrong but I see now that it wasn't really helpful and I was being driven by my ego a little, I have to remember that not everything is a debate to the death lol

. But I'm going to try and channel that into a more helpful approach.

All the best
Anna

BT65 · « **Reply #35 on:** August 04, 2008, 11:09:22 am »

I feel that if anyone (especially an HIV- person who is just a university student) is going to give a definitive answer about an illness that may or may not be related to HIV, then they should provide a link from a well-respected scientific journal or site.

Anna Karenina · « **Reply #36 on:** August 04, 2008, 11:50:36 pm »

Quote from: Bettytacy on August 04, 2008, 11:09:22 am

I feel that if anyone (especially an HIV- person who is just a university student) is going to give a definitive answer about an illness that may or may not be related to HIV, then they should provide a link from a well-respected scientific journal or site.

Peter pointed this out in another of my posts and I will definitely do this from now on

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Author Topic: Is Impetigo an Opportunistic Infection? (Read 25581 times)