What is pus?
The pus is a more or less dense creamy fluid, yellowish or greenish, which is formed at the site of an infection.
The pus consists of:
- a variable amount of serum or plasma;
- white blood cells in degeneration;
- live and dead bacteria;
- fragments of necrotic tissue and other residues from the defense process.
Figure: A Pustule, a small collection of pus in the skin
The principal disintegrating white blood cells found in the pus are neutrophils, phagocytic cells capable of incorporating and digesting the bacteria with which they come into contact; in chronic inflammatory processes there are also considerable amounts of lymphocytes.
Contrary to what one might think because of the disgusting aspect, the presence of pus indicates a good response of the leukocytes to inflammation and to the chemotactic factors that are released in response to it.
Pyogenic bacteria
Pus is a pathological material, so the presence of bacteria in both microscopic and cultural examination usually has a high diagnostic importance.
What is called pus is defined as the production of pus; examples of bacteria or pyogenic germs are Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Nesseiria Gonorrhoeae (causal agent of blenorragia, a sexually transmitted disease manifested by purulent secretions from the penis or vagina).
A large number of bacterial species can be classified as pyogenic. The most common include:
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Staphylococcus epidermidis
- Streptococcus pyogenes
- Escherichia coli
- Streptococcus pneumoniae
- Klebsiella pneumoniae
- Salmonella typhi
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- Neisseria gonorrhoeae
- Actinomyces
- Burkholderia mallei
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Staphylococcus aureus is the most common cause of boils.
Source: wikipedia.org
The purulent adjective is up to whatever it contains, is made up of, or produces pus (eg purulent inflammation); if it is associated with mucus, the adjective "mucopurulento" is used.
Empiemi, Abscesses and Pustules
The pus collections are called
- empyema if found in preformed cavities
- abscesses if they are present in newly formed cavities
- phlegmon if they have a tendency to spread.
The pustules are small raised lesions, filled with pus, which are formed in the epidermis; they are a typical sign of acne and pustular psoriasis.
Treatment
In the presence of small pus-filled pimples, it is sufficient to apply a warm-damp pack to facilitate drainage, followed by local disinfection.
Before and after the operation it is important to wash your hands thoroughly (the pus may in fact contain live bacteria that can infect other areas of the skin or infect other people).
In general, however, it is a good rule to avoid tormenting these small collections of pus too much, which tend to disappear spontaneously within a few days.
