[Etiology of erysipelas]

Bacterial cultures were taken from 31 patients by scarification from the dermal compartment of recent erysipelas foci. Pathogenic organisms were isolated from the dermis while cultures from the skin surface remained sterile in 5 patients; Streptococcus pyogenes was cultured in 2 of these patients and Staphylococcus aureus in the other 3 patients. Our findings indicate that staphylococcal erysipelas does exist and we suppose that Staphylococcus aureus is able to induce erysipelas, above all in the presence of dysfunction of lymph vessels. When treatment with penicillin G is not successful, erysipelas caused by staphylococci has to be considered. In these cases treatment has to be changed to penicillinase-resistant penicillin.