A red swollen pus-filled bump is best described as a boil. Which option correctly defines it?

A red swollen pus-filled bump is best described as a boil. Which option correctly defines it?

• A. Boil
• B. Impetigo
• C. Stye
• D. Nodule

Answer: (A)

A boil is an infected hair follicle or oil gland that forms a red, swollen, pus-filled lump. It develops as bacteria, often Staphylococcus aureus, trigger an immune response and pus accumulates, making the area tender, warm, and eventually forming a center that may drain. This presentation—a painful, red bump that fills with pus—fits a boil best. Impetigo tends to produce honey-colored crusts over shallow patches rather than a single deep abscess; a stye is an eyelid-specific infection with a painful bump at the lid edge; a nodule is a deeper, firm lump that isn’t necessarily pus-filled.

A boil is an infected hair follicle or oil gland that forms a red, swollen, pus-filled lump. It develops as bacteria, often Staphylococcus aureus, trigger an immune response and pus accumulates, making the area tender, warm, and eventually forming a center that may drain. This presentation—a painful, red bump that fills with pus—fits a boil best. Impetigo tends to produce honey-colored crusts over shallow patches rather than a single deep abscess; a stye is an eyelid-specific infection with a painful bump at the lid edge; a nodule is a deeper, firm lump that isn’t necessarily pus-filled.