The skin is the largest organ of the human body, which is daily invaded by various environmental factors such as dryness, cold bites, bacteria, fungi, and accidental fires as well. All these factors may damage skin, leading to skin and skin structure infections (SSIs) or skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). These are the most common type of bacterial infection that involves breaching of the integumentary part of the skin (accidental or intentional), ranging from mild severity (pyoderma) to life-threatening (necrotizing fasciitis) incidences
[1][2][3]. In recent decades, the incidence rate of SSTIs has increased problematically in hospital and ambulatory settings in the United States due to the poor immunity of the population affected and the multidrug resistance in pathogens
[4][5][6]. Traditionally,
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and
Streptococcus pyogenes (group A β-hemolytic streptococci,
S. pyogenes) were the main culprits for the SSTIs, but, recently, either methicillin-resistant
S. aureus (MRSA) or macrolide-resistant
S. pyogenes or both in combination are the main cause of these infections
[7]. SSTIs are classified in various forms based on the infection location, progression rate, clinical symptoms, causative agent, extension depth, and severity
[1][7][8][9]. In 1998, the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) categorized SSTIs into complicated and uncomplicated treatment. To explain further, complicated treatment addresses deeper tissue infection and requires surgical treatment and uncomplicated treatments are to cure superficial infections. However, this classification did not categorize the patients who were recovering from these infections
[10]. Therefore, in 2013, the USFDA adopted a new guideline for pharmaceutical industries and classified all SSTIs into a consolidated term: acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI)
[2]. ABSSSI is defined as a skin bacterial infection with a lesion size of 75 cm
2 area (measured by area of redness, edema, or induration), including bacterial cellulitis/erysipelas, wound infection, and cutaneous abscess
[3]. This guideline excludes impetigo, minor cutaneous abscess, diabetic foot infections (DFI), infection from human or animal bites, decubitus ulcer infection, myonecrosis, necrotizing fasciitis, ecthyma gangrenosum, and chronic wound infections
[10][11]. In 2014, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) proposed a more relevant and practical classification of SSTIs
[12]. The IDSA classified SSTIs based on “(i) skin extension, complicated infection (deep structures of the skin) and uncomplicated (superficial infections); (ii) rate of progression, acute and chronic wound infections; (iii) tissue necrosis, necrotizing and not necrotizing infections”
[11]. All the classifications include the patients who possess various clinical manifestations such as cellulitis/erysipelas, wound infection, and major cutaneous abscess, etc. (
Table 1)
[6]. Moreover, these may be categorized into primary (bullous impetigo, cellulitis, carbuncles, furuncles impetigo contagiosa, and folliculitis), and secondary SSTIs (atopic dermatitis, prurigo, contact dermatitis, and neurodermatitis)
[9].