Johns Hopkins ABX Guide
Furuncle/Carbuncle
PATHOGENS
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Cutaneous abscesses may be polymicrobial, while true furuncles and carbuncles are almost always due solely to S. aureus.
- Occasionally due to other pathogens, especially in the immunosuppressed.
- Furuncle pathophysiology differs from routine abscesses (e.g., peri-rectal, breast) as it is based on the hair follicle.
- Cutaneous abscesses may be polymicrobial, while true furuncles and carbuncles are almost always due solely to S. aureus.
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Last updated: January 13, 2023
Citation
Auwaerter, Paul. "Furuncle/Carbuncle." Johns Hopkins ABX Guide, The Johns Hopkins University, 2023. Pediatrics Central, peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540235/all/Furuncle_Carbuncle.
Auwaerter P. Furuncle/Carbuncle. Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2023. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540235/all/Furuncle_Carbuncle. Accessed October 31, 2025.
Auwaerter, P. (2023). Furuncle/Carbuncle. In Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540235/all/Furuncle_Carbuncle
Auwaerter P. Furuncle/Carbuncle [Internet]. In: Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2023. [cited 2025 October 31]. Available from: https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540235/all/Furuncle_Carbuncle.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
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