Division SST-ST: Soft tissue (necrotizing fascitis, infectious gangrene, necrotizing cellulitis, infectious myositis, lymphadenitis, or lymphangitis)

Soft tissue infections must meet at least 1 of the following criteria:

• Patient has organisms cultured from tissue or drainage from affected site

• Patient has purulent drainage at affected site

• Patient has an abscess or other evidence of infection seen during a surgical operation or histopathologic examination

• Patient has at least 2 of the following signs or symptoms at the affected site with no other recognized cause: localized pain or tenderness, redness, swelling, or heat

  AND at least 1 of the following:

  • organisms cultured from blood

  • positive antigen test performed on blood or urine (for example, Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, Group B Streptococcus, Candida spp.)

  • diagnostic single antibody titre (IgM) or 4-fold increase in paired sera (IgG) for pathogen