Overview
By inserting a needle within a skin lesion, fluid or pus can be aspirated and sent to the laboratory for examination. The results may indicate a bacterial or fungal skin infection which then determines the course of treatment.
Review Date 10/14/2018
Updated by: Michael Lehrer, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.