• Fever
• Signs of infection:
  • Chills, shaking
  • Fatigue
  • General ill feeling (malaise)
  • Muscle aches, pains (myalgias)
  • Warm skin, sweating
• Pain or tenderness in the area with the rash or sore
• Skin redness or inflammation that increases in size as the infection spreads
• Skin sore or rash (macule):
  • Comes on suddenly
  • Grows quickly in the first 24 hours
  • Usually has sharp borders
• Tight, glossy, "stretched" appearance of the skin
• Warmth over the area of redness

Other symptoms that can occur with this disease:

• Hair loss at the site of infection
• Joint stiffness caused by swelling of the tissue over the joint
• Nausea and vomiting

During a physical examination, the doctor may find:

• Redness, warmth, and swelling of the skin
• Swelling and drainage if the infection is around a skin wound
• Swollen glands (lymph nodes) near the cellulitis

Your health care provider may mark the edges of the redness with a pen, to see if the redness goes past the marked border over the next several days.

Tests that may be used:

• Blood culture
• Complete blood count (CBC)