Cellulitis, a skin infection caused by bacteria under the skin, can be very dangerous if left untreated.
- A British athlete has posted a video on TikTok in which he creates holes in the surface of his skin by simply pressing his finger on his leg.
- This symptom is caused by a skin infection called infectious cellulitis.
- Antibiotic treatment can cure this disease.
“Watch out, it’s awful”, warns Lawrence Okoye, British athlete (discus throwing and American football) and former member of the National Football League (NFL), to present a video on his TikTok account. Above, we see him pressing his leg with a finger and each pressure leaves a hole in his skin.
A skin infection caused by bacteria
What is the athlete suffering from? Infectious cellulitis, a skin infection. “Bacteria entered his right leg through a cut, can we read on the media DailyMail. The skin infection became so severe that fluid began to build up under the skin, allowing the sportsman to ‘mold’ the leg.”
To recover, Lawrence Okoye received a week-long course of antibiotics. According to MSD Manualthese are indeed the drugs commonly used to treat this infection.
But what is cellulitis? This disease is an acute bacterial infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissues. Most often, it is caused by streptococci and staphylococci, pathogenic bacteria that penetrate under the skin.
Infectious cellulitis, a skin disease that can be serious
Usually, at the beginning, this disease is manifested by redness, a sensation of heat, pain, and swelling of the skin. The MSD Manual states that this “infection is more common on the lower extremities.”
If cellulitis is not treated, it can have serious consequences because the bacteria can infect other parts of the body. Sepsis – or sepsis – is the most serious and life-threatening consequence of infectious cellulitis. It is, according to the MSD Manuala severe whole-body reaction to bacteremia or other infection plus malfunction or failure of an essential body system.
In France, there are approximately 250,000 to 300,000 cases of sepsis of bacterial origin per year, according to the Pasteur Institute. The mortality of patients hospitalized for sepsis is 25%.
