Lymphangitis
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Basics
Description
- Lymphangitis is the infection of lymphatics that drain a focus of inflammation or other infection
- Histologically, lymphatic vessels are dilated and filled with lymphocytes and histiocytes
Etiology
- Acute lymphangitis:
- Caused by bacterial infection
- Most common: Group A β-hemolytic Streptococcus
- Less common: Other strep species, methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA):
- Risk factors for Staph infection (MSSA and MRSA):
- Recent hospital or long-term care admission
- Recent surgery
- Children
- Soldiers
- Incarcerated persons
- Athletes in contact sport
- Injection drug use
- Men who have sex with men
- Dialysis treatments and catheters
- History of penetrating trauma
- Additional risk factors for MRSA infection:
- Prior MRSA infection
- MRSA colonization
- Area of high MRSA incidence
- Close contact with MRSA patient
- Risk factors for Staph infection (MSSA and MRSA):
- Other organisms:
- Pasteurella multocida (cat or dog bite)
- Streptobacillus moniliformis (rat-bite fever)
- Wuchereria bancrofti (filariasis): Mosquito borne
- Consider in immigrants from Africa, Southeast Asia/Pacific, and tropical South America with lower-extremity involvement
- Chronic (nodular) lymphangitis:
- Usually caused by mycotic, mycobacterial, and filarial infections
- Sporothrix schenckii (most common cause of chronic lymphangitis in the U.S.):
- Inoculation occurs while gardening or farming (rose thorn)
- Organism is present on some plants and in sphagnum moss
- Multiple SC nodules appear along course of lymphatic vessels
- Typical antibiotics and local treatment fail to cure lesion
- Mycobacterium marinum:
- Atypical Mycobacterium
- Grows optimally at 25–32°C in fish tanks and swimming pools
- May produce a chronic nodular, single wart-like or ulcerative lesion at site of abrasion
- Additional lesions may appear in distribution similar to sporotrichosis
- Nocardia brasiliensis
- Mycobacterium kansasii
- W. bancrofti
-- To view the remaining sections of this topic, please log in or purchase a subscription --
Basics
Description
- Lymphangitis is the infection of lymphatics that drain a focus of inflammation or other infection
- Histologically, lymphatic vessels are dilated and filled with lymphocytes and histiocytes
Etiology
- Acute lymphangitis:
- Caused by bacterial infection
- Most common: Group A β-hemolytic Streptococcus
- Less common: Other strep species, methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA):
- Risk factors for Staph infection (MSSA and MRSA):
- Recent hospital or long-term care admission
- Recent surgery
- Children
- Soldiers
- Incarcerated persons
- Athletes in contact sport
- Injection drug use
- Men who have sex with men
- Dialysis treatments and catheters
- History of penetrating trauma
- Additional risk factors for MRSA infection:
- Prior MRSA infection
- MRSA colonization
- Area of high MRSA incidence
- Close contact with MRSA patient
- Risk factors for Staph infection (MSSA and MRSA):
- Other organisms:
- Pasteurella multocida (cat or dog bite)
- Streptobacillus moniliformis (rat-bite fever)
- Wuchereria bancrofti (filariasis): Mosquito borne
- Consider in immigrants from Africa, Southeast Asia/Pacific, and tropical South America with lower-extremity involvement
- Chronic (nodular) lymphangitis:
- Usually caused by mycotic, mycobacterial, and filarial infections
- Sporothrix schenckii (most common cause of chronic lymphangitis in the U.S.):
- Inoculation occurs while gardening or farming (rose thorn)
- Organism is present on some plants and in sphagnum moss
- Multiple SC nodules appear along course of lymphatic vessels
- Typical antibiotics and local treatment fail to cure lesion
- Mycobacterium marinum:
- Atypical Mycobacterium
- Grows optimally at 25–32°C in fish tanks and swimming pools
- May produce a chronic nodular, single wart-like or ulcerative lesion at site of abrasion
- Additional lesions may appear in distribution similar to sporotrichosis
- Nocardia brasiliensis
- Mycobacterium kansasii
- W. bancrofti
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