title: Practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of skin and soft tissue infections: 2014 update by the infectious diseases society of America.
abstract: A panel of national experts was convened by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) to update the 2005 guidelines for the treatment of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). The panel's recommendations were developed to be concordant with the recently published IDSA guidelines for the treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections. The focus of this guideline is the diagnosis and appropriate treatment of diverse SSTIs ranging from minor superficial infections to life-threatening infections such as necrotizing fasciitis. In addition, because of an increasing number of immunocompromised hosts worldwide, the guideline addresses the wide array of SSTIs that occur in this population. These guidelines emphasize the importance of clinical skills in promptly diagnosing SSTIs, identifying the pathogen, and administering effective treatments in a timely fashion.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Veterans Affairs, Boise, Idaho.
authors.forename: Dennis L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.affiliation: Medical Service, Miami Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Florida.
authors.forename: Alan L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Bisno
authors.affiliation: San Francisco General Hospital, University of California.
authors.forename: Henry F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Chambers
authors.affiliation: Division of General Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle.
authors.forename: E Patchen
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Dellinger
authors.affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine, and R. M. Alden Research Laboratory, Santa Monica, California.
authors.forename: Ellie J C
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Sherwood L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Gorbach
authors.affiliation: Medical Service, Puget Sound Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Seattle, Washington.
authors.forename: Jan V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Hirschmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Sheldon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Stanford University, California.
authors.forename: Jose G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Montoya
authors.affiliation: Geisinger Health System, Geisinger Cancer Institute, Danville, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Wade
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D017192:Skin Diseases, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D018461:Soft Tissue Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D014481:United States