Local Lesions

Abstract

The term local lesion is used here to mean infections of skin or soft tissue which result in a lesion which is localized with only limited systemic spread of the infecting organism. A number of experimental models of this type have been described, involving intramuscular, subcutaneous or intracutaneous infection and also infections of abraded or burnt skin. In general the number of organisms required to cause infection in these models is high and various procedures or agents have been used to enhance infection including shock (Miles and Niven, 1950) and the administration of adrenaline (Evans et al., 1948), malonate (Berry and Mitchell, 1953) or ferric iron (Weinberg, 1966). The presence of a foreign body such as a suture (Elek and Conen, 1957; James and MacLeod, 1961) or cotton dust (Noble, 1965) has also been used to enhance infection.