What is Abscess?
{{Infobox disease | Name = Abscess | Image = Five day old Abscess.jpg | Caption = Five-day-old abscess. The black dot is a clogged [[hair follicle]]. | DiseasesDB = | ICD10 = L02 | ICD9 = {{ICD9|682.9}}, {{ICD9|324.1}} | ICDO = | OMIM = | MedlinePlus = 001353 | eMedicineSubj = | eMedicineTopic = | MeshID = D000038}} An '''abscess''' ({{Lang-lat|abscessus}}) is [[pus]] that has built up within the [[tissue (biology)|tissue]] of the body.<ref name=NEJM2014/> Signs and [[symptom]]<nowiki/>s of abscesses include: redness, [[pain]], warmth, and swelling. This swelling feels like it is filled with [[fluid]] if it is pressed.<ref name=NEJM2014/> The area of redness is often bigger than the area of swelling.<ref name=El2009>{{cite book|last=Elston|first=Dirk M.|title=Infectious Diseases of the Skin.|date=2009|publisher=Manson Pub.|location=London|isbn=9781840765144|page=12|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=esPkuOxZajYC&pg=PA12}}</ref> [[Carbuncle]]<nowiki/>s are an abscess in the [[hair follicle]]s.<ref name=Rosen2014Chp120>{{cite book|last=Marx|first=John A. Marx|title=Rosen's emergency medicine : concepts and clinical practice|date=2014|publisher=Elsevier/Saunders|location=Philadelphia, PA|isbn=978-1455706051|pages=Chapter 120|edition=8th|chapter=Dermatologic Presentations}}</ref> An abscess is usually caused by a [[bacterial]] [[infection]].<ref name=Cox2007>{{cite book|last=Cox|first=Carol Turkington, Jeffrey S. Dover ; medical illustrations, Birck|title=The encyclopedia of skin and skin disorders|date=2007|publisher=Facts on File|location=New York, NY|isbn=9780816075096|page=1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GKVPHoIs8uIC&pg=PA1|edition=3rd}}</ref> Often many different types of [[bacteria]] can be part of a single infection.<ref name=El2009/> In the United States and many other areas of the world the most common bacteria present is [[MRSA]] (a strain of Methicillin-resistant '''[[Staphylococcus aureus]]'''.).<ref name=NEJM201