Omphalitis

For comparison, this is the appearance of a full-blown case of omphalitis. The progression of erythema over time can be clearly seen from the circles marked on the abdomen. The first circle was drawn less than 12 hours after redness was initially seen, and the second circle was drawn several hours after that. Omphalitis of this degree can be fatal, even with aggressive antibiotic therapy, so infection in this area should always be taken seriously.

photo by JoDee Anderson, MD