The surrounding area becomes red, and this area gets larger over time. The area surrounding the wound becomes swollen, tender to the touch, or painful. The wound weeps off-color or odorous fluid; this pus may be yellow, greenish, or cloudy. Red streaks spread out from the site of the wound.
Purulent Wound Drainage
Exudate that becomes a thick, milky liquid or a thick liquid that turns yellow, tan, gray, green, or brown is almost always a sign that infection is present. This drainage contains white blood cells, dead bacteria, wound debris, and inflammatory cells.
Can an infected wound or cut heal on its own? Some minor wound infections can heal on their own, but if a wound starts to develop more drainage, the surrounding redness spreads, or if a person develops a fever, a person should seek further medical attention.
Whether it's a surgical wound or one that seemed minor at first but is getting worse instead of better, any wound that's infected should be evaluated by a medical provider. Signs a wound may be infected include: Increasing pain or redness. Drainage or bleeding that won't stop.
Healthy granulation tissue is pink in colour and is an indicator of healing. Unhealthy granulation is dark red in colour, often bleeds on contact, and may indicate the presence of wound infection.
There are a number of tell-tale signs that your cut may be infected: The surrounding area becomes red, and this area gets larger over time. The area surrounding the wound becomes swollen, tender to the touch, or painful. The wound weeps off-color or odorous fluid; this pus may be yellow, greenish, or cloudy.
We found a bacterial infection significantly more often in yellowish or greenish sputum samples (Pearson's χ2(1) = 6.32, p = 0.012). The sensitivity of and yellowish or greenish sputum used as a test for a bacterial infection was 0.79 (95% CI 0.63–0.94); the specificity was 0.46 (95% CI 0.038–0.53).
If you see green or yellow phlegm, it's usually a sign that your body is fighting an infection. The color comes from white blood cells. At first, you may notice yellow phlegm that then progresses into green phlegm.
Your wound may look red, swollen, and watery at the beginning. This can be a normal part of healing. The wound may have a red or pink raised scar once it closes. The healing will continue for months to years after this.
Other signs that you need to see a medical professional include increasing redness, swelling, or pain around the wound. Oozing liquid, pus or an abscess forming are other signs of infection that need to be seen by a doctor, particularly if the discharge smells bad, which could be a sign of necrosis (dead flesh).
Antibiotics are used to treat most wound infections. Sometimes, you also may need surgery to treat the infection. You may be started on antibiotics to treat the surgical wound infection. The length of time you will need to take the antibiotics varies, but will typically be for at least 1 week.
How do you treat an infected wound? Unless the infection is very minor, antibiotics are usually needed to treat the infection and stop it spreading. If the wound and/or area of infection are small then an antibiotic cream such as fusidic acid may be prescribed.
If you have a scab, it's considered normal to see it change into a yellowish color over time. This is completely normal and is the result of the hemoglobin from red blood cells in the scab being broken down and washed away.
If you notice red streaks or lines from the wound going up your skin toward your heart, you should see a doctor right away. This is a sign that your wound has become so infected that it is affecting your blood. Such infections are very serious and if left untreated can even become deadly.
If an infected cut is not treated promptly, the infection will begin to spread into the deeper tissues under the skin. This is called cellulitis. The infection can travel through your blood to other parts of your body. Once the infection spreads, you will begin to feel generally unwell and develop a fever.
Any wound that isn't properly cleaned and covered can allow bacteria, viruses or fungi to enter through the opening in the skin, leading to infection. Sepsis occurs when the body overreacts to infection, releasing chemicals into the bloodstream that ultimately cause organ failure and death.
Redness. The area may be swollen, sore, and red in color right after you've sustained your injury. This is normal as blood is being sent to the area to supply oxygen and other nutrients for healing. But if the wound is still red and swollen after five days, it's a sign that your body is not healing correctly.
If the area around the wound becomes red or begins to swell, or pus begins to drain from it, seek medical care right away. If you notice any numbness developing around the wound, that should be checked by a medical professional, too.
Staph infection
MRSA infections start out as small red bumps that can quickly turn into deep, painful abscesses. Staph infections can range from minor skin problems to life-threatening illness.