A skin and skin structure infection (SSSI) is a bacterial infection of skin and associated tissues. It often requires treatment by antibiotics.
It is/was divided into two types, complicated skin and skin structure infection (cSSSI) and uncomplicated skin and skin structure infection (uSSSI).[1]
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defined these as:
The uncomplicated category includes such clinical entities as simple abscesses, impetiginous lesions, furuncles, and cellulitis.The complicated category includes infections either involving deeper soft tissue or requiring significant surgical intervention, such as infected ulcers, burns, and major abscesses or a significant underlying disease state that complicates the response to treatment. Superficial infections or abscesses in an anatomical site, such as the rectal area, where the risk of anaerobic or Gram-negative pathogen involvement is higher, should be
considered complicated infections."[2]
The two categories had different regulatory approval requirements.
The uncomplicated category normally only involve Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes.
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Since 2008-2010 the FDA has called them acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI).[3]