A pale yellow or green, creamy fluid found at the site of bacterial infection. Pus is composed of millions of dead white blood cells, partly digested tissue, dead and living bacteria, and other substances. A collection of pus within solid tissue is called an abscess.
Pus is a thick, white, yellow or greenish ?uid, found in abscesses (see ABSCESS), ulcers, and on in?amed and discharging surfaces generally. Its colour and consistency are due to the presence of white blood corpuscles, and super?cial cells of granulation tissue or of a mucous membrane which die and are shed o? in consequence of the in?ammatory process (see PHAGOCYTOSIS). Bacteria that normally produce pus are STREPTOCOCCUS, PNEUMOCOCCUS and ESCHERICHIA coli.
n. a thick yellowish or greenish liquid formed at the site of an established infection. Pus contains dead white blood cells, both living and dead bacteria, and fragments of dead tissue. See also mucopus; seropus.
(toxic pustuloderma) a reaction to a medication, resulting in the appearance of fine sterile *pustules on inflamed skin; the pustules may easily be overlooked. Common causes include penicillins, and pustular psoriasis must be excluded from the diagnosis.... acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis
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