A carbuncle is a bacterial infection resulting from staphylococcal bacteria. This condition is the result of 2 or more contiguous furuncles, enlarging into a multiheaded giant furuncle (boil). Alcohol use disorder, malnutrition, impaired circulation, diabetes mellitus, and other forms of immunosuppression predispose an individual to infection. Symptomatic relief is provided by warm compresses. Antibiotics are used to clear the infection.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) first emerged as an important nosocomial pathogen in the 1960s. In more recent years, community-acquired outbreaks of MRSA have been described increasingly among prisoners, military recruits, athletes, intravenous (IV) drug users, and men who have sex with men. Community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) has also been identified in otherwise healthy individuals lacking these risk factors. In a recent study of emergency department visits for purulent skin and soft tissue infections, MRSA was identified as the etiologic agent in the majority (59%) of cases. Furthermore, this study determined that 57% of patients with MRSA did not receive the appropriate initial antibiotic therapy.