pus

(Latin: viscous matter; yellowish matter produced by an infection)

Don't confuse this pus with another pus which means "foot, feet".

anchovy sauce pus
The characteristic exudate of amebic abscesses of the liver. Its brownish color comes from a mixture of pus and old blood.
blue pus
Purulence with a blue tint caused by pigment pyocyanin; usually associated with infection due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
burrowing pus
A pus that may spread a considerable distance from its origin by dissecting along pre-existing anatomical planes.
cheesy pus
A semisolid, very thick pus found inside old abscesses and resulting from water absorption.
curdy pus
Pus containing flakes of caseous matter (damaged or necrotic tissue).
ichorous pus
Pus that contains pieces of sloughed tissue and may produce a foul odor due to decomposition of that tissue.
mucopus
A mixture of mucus and pus.
pus
1. A liquid, usually yellowish (to green) which is formed in certain infections and is composed of white blood cells, bacteria, and cellular debris.
2. The liquid product of inflammation composed of albuminous substances, a thin fluid, and leukocytes; generally yellow in color.

It is usually, but not always, caused by infectious microorganisms.

If red, it suggests rupture of small vessels. If blue or green, it indicates the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Streptococci, staphylococci, gonococci, pneumococci, and other species of bacteria cause the formation of pus.

An expanded explanation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the versatile "blue-green pus bacteria" that takes every opportunity to infect people, especially those who are immunocompromised.

Pseudomonas rarely causes infection in healthy individuals but it is a major cause of hospital acquired (nosocomial) infections. It tends to infect people with immunodeficiency or burns and those with indwelling catheters or on respirators.

Infection with pseudomonas can lead to urinary tract infections, sepsis (blood stream infection), pneumonia, pharyngitis, and many other medical problems. Pseudomonas colonizes the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and contributes to the chronic progressive pulmonary disease and death rate in CF.

Pseudomonas normally resides in the soil, marshes, and coastal marine habitats. It can survive under conditions that few other organisms can tolerate, it produces a slime layer that resists phagocytosis (engulfment), and it is resistant to most antibiotics.

Pseudomonas can multiply in an extraordinary assortment of environments including eyedrops, soaps, sinks, anesthesia and resuscitation equipment, fuels, humidifiers, and even stored distilled water. It has also been reported in kidney dialysis machines. The characteristic color of the pus is due to a bluish pigment (pyocyanin) and a greenish pigment produced by pseudomonas.

pus blister
A blister containing purulent matter.
pus cell
A degenerate or necrotic granulocyte; the characteristic cell of suppurative and purulent inflammation.
pus organism
Pyogenic micro-organism, or a micro-organism producing pus; usually, staphylococci and streptococci; but many other organisms also produce pus.
sanious pus
Pus which is blood stained and foul smelling.

Word families with similar applications about: "decay, rotten; wasting away; putrid, pus" word units: phthisio- (decay, waste away); pustu- (blister, pimple); putre- (rotten, decayed); pyo- (pus; purulent); sapro- (rotten, putrid, putrefaction, decay); sepsi- (decay, rot, putrefactive); suppurant- (festering, forming or discharging pus); tabe- (wasting away, decaying).

Cross references of word groups that are related, partially or extensively, to: "blister, bump, swelling": bull-; ichor-; papulo-; pemphig-; puro-; pustu-; pyo-; suppurant-; tum-; vesico-; vesiculo-.