A postpaum woman has acute puerperal mastitis. Which of the following statements is true?: (A) The initial treatment is tetracyclines, (B) The source of the infection is usually the infant's gastrointestinal tract, (C) Frank abscesses may develop and require drainage, (D) The most common offending organism is Escherichia coli.
Answer is C. Acute puerperal mastitis Most common organism- Staphylococcus aureus inoculated into maternal breasts through the baby's nasopharynx. Symptoms and signs Fever with chills, myalgia, malaise Engorged and tender breast Mostly unilateral Approximately 10 percent of women with mastitis develop an abscess which requires incision and drainage. Rx- Dicloxacillin, 500 mg orally four times daily, may be staed empirically. Erythromycin is given to women who are penicillin hypersensitive