ABSTRACT

There are a limited number of ways the skin can react to an infection. Generally the diagnosis cannot be made through the characteristics of the rash alone; a characteristic rash can be suggestive of a specific etiology but is usually not diagnostic. A specific type of rash may not be unique to a particular pathogen. The skin manifestations associated with a specific infectious agent may be variable, and different types of skin lesions may be seen at different times in the course of one infection. Host factors such as neutropenia may also affect the way the skin reacts to infection.