Boil
Medical condition (infection) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This article is about the contagious skin disease. For the change in state from liquid to gas, see Boiling. For other uses, see Boil (disambiguation).
A boil, also called a furuncle, is a deep folliculitis, which is an infection of the hair follicle. It is most commonly caused by infection by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, resulting in a painful swollen area on the skin caused by an accumulation of pus and dead tissue.[1] Boils are therefore basically pus-filled nodules.[2] Individual boils clustered together are called carbuncles.[3] Most human infections are caused by coagulase-positive S. aureus strains, notable for the bacteria's ability to produce coagulase, an enzyme that can clot blood. Almost any organ system can be infected by S. aureus.