Hi

Thanks for writing to health care magic

I think your son might have had impetigo.... a skin infection for which he was placed on treatment with antibiotics by the treating Pediatrician.
Touching of lesions or scratching with finger and touching other areas will result in spread of infection from one part of the body to another. So this should be avoided.
Keep the fingernails short.
Also, take care that the child does proper hand washing and care takers who handle the lesion.
Do not share his clothes, towels and other personal belongings with others.


Oral hygiene and brushing during this episode might have decreased resulting in plague formation and bad breath
Improvement of oral hygiene may result in reduction in bad breath.
It could also be that the same organism, which causes Impetigo (Streptococci), might have caused throat infection resulting in bad breath. (Since you are mentioning that bad breath is persisting even after proper brushing this could be the most probable cause)
A throat examination and throat swab for culture would help in diagnosis.

Is your child running fever now? Did you get any investigations done? (Like total leukocyte count, differential count, swab of lesions for microscopy and culture etc)

Please update me with further details so that I can help you better.
Hope this helps.

Take care.

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Hi XXXXXXX

Thanks for your reply to XXXXXXX

If Staphylococcus was grown and the child is put on antibiotics and there was no improvement it would suggest that the bacteria is resistant to that particular antibiotic.

Now the swab from the lesion will have a culture and sensitivity report.....which indicates if the bacteria is sensitive to that antibiotic or if it is resistant. Based on such report we change the antibiotic. We stop the antibiotic for which the organism is resistant and start a antibiotic for which the organism is sensitive.

Hope this helps
Take care.

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