What does it mean if you have pus in the wound?
Pus is a secretion of the body, a so-called exudate, in response to an inflammation. The nature and color of the pus can vary depending on the trigger and environment from thin to thick, and in color from pale yellow to green or even green-blue. In addition to color and texture, pus also varies greatly in its odor, again depending on the bacteria involved. But even without infection, pus can form, as in postulosa psoriasis, but this is rather the exception. Usually, pus in the wound means that there has been a colonization of bacteria in the wound, which has caused an inflammation and now the body’s own defense works against this bacterial colonization.
Causes of pus in the wound
The most common cause of pus in a wound is infection with bacteria. Bacteria that cause infections with pus are also called pyogenic bacteria. If pyogenic bacteria colonize a wound, the body’s own immune system becomes active and tries to break down the bacteria with the help of immune and defense cells.
In this case, the neutrophilic, multinucleated lymphocytes are of great importance. The affected tissue is melted down by the defence cells, releasing proteolytic enzymes, i.e. enzymes that break down proteins and also bacteria. These melting processes and degradation products then show up as yellowish secretion on the wounds in the form of pus. A rather rare cause of pus is pustular psoriasis.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of pus on a wound is a gaze diagnosis, especially with a trained eye. Important characteristics are the color from pale yellow to green-yellow to green-blue, the consistency from thin to solid and the smell, which can vary from “odorless” to “sweetish” or “foetal”. These first characteristics can already give hints about the origin of the pus and the germ colonization in the wound.
For an exact detection of the pathogen, a smear is taken from the infected wound, from which the bacteria in the pus are then cultivated in the laboratory under artificial conditions and can be precisely identified. In addition to the exact identification of the bacteria, resistance testing is also important for further treatment. This can also be carried out from the bacteria taken and thus the ideal antibiotic can be found.
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