Abscess
diseaseOn this page
Also known as abscess (disease)
Summary
Abscess (MONDO:0005227) is a disease (an umbrella term covering 11 Mondo subtypes) with 21 GWAS associations across 48 studies and 62 clinical trials. Top therapeutic interventions include methylene blue cation, clindamycin, and cephalexin anhydrous. A subtype of infectious disease — broader associated-gene and molecular evidence is on the parent page (see Disease family below).
At a glance
- Umbrella term: 11 Mondo subtypes
- GWAS associations: 21
- Clinical trials: 62
Clinical features
No curated clinical features (Orphanet) for this disease.
Identifiers
Disease identifiers
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Canonical name | abscess |
| Mondo ID | MONDO:0005227 |
| EFO | EFO:0003030 |
| MeSH | D000038 |
| NCIT | C26686 |
| SNOMED CT | 128477000 |
| UMLS | C0000833 |
| MedGen | 1684 |
| Is cancer (heuristic) | no |
Also known as: abscess (disease)
Data availability: 21 GWAS associations (48 studies).
Disease family
This is a subtype of infectious disease. Genetic, therapeutic, and trial evidence is largely curated at the broader-term level — see the parent page for the associated-gene cohort and molecular evidence.
Classification path: disease › human disease › disease by etiologic mechanism › disease of primarily extrinsic mechanism › infectious disease › abscess
Related subtypes (34): infective endocarditis, hirudiniasis, fungal infectious disease, infectious peritonitis, epididymitis, viral infectious disease, bacterial infectious disease, parasitic infectious disease, Ciliophora infectious disease, hookworm infectious disease, infectious embryofetopathy, mycetoma, infectious disorder of the nervous system, ear infection, sexually transmitted disease, puerperal infection, Acanthamoeba infectious disease, infectious myositis, infective vaginitis, skin disorder caused by infection, respiratory tract infectious disorder, nail infection, infective arthritis, digestive system infectious disorder, nosocomial infection, eye infectious disorder, prosthesis-related infectious disease, vector-borne disease, coinfection, urinary tract infection, hemorrhagic fever, protothecosis, pythiosis, infectious disease with sepsis
Subtypes (11): lung abscess, breast abscess, intracranial abscess, corneal abscess, pyoureter, splenic abscess, vitreous abscess, epidural abscess, peritonsillar abscess, liver abscess (disease), intersphincteric abscess
Genetics & variants
GWAS landscape
21 GWAS associations across 48 studies. Top hits map to 13 distinct genes (as reported by GWAS).
Top associations by p-value
| rsID | p-value | Gene | Risk allele | Odds ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rs1558902 | 2e-28 | FTO | T | 0.11 |
| rs9927317 | 2e-27 | FTO | C | 0.06 |
| rs62048402 | 3e-25 | FTO | G | 0.11 |
| rs17817712 | 1e-23 | FTO | A | 0.06 |
| chr11:28741136 | 3e-16 | A | 0.05 | |
| chr14:99669005 | 5e-15 | G | 0.05 | |
| rs13107325 | 2e-13 | SLC39A8 | C | 0.07 |
| rs3933088 | 1e-12 | BCL11B | T | 0.04 |
| rs552158554 | 9e-12 | ZNF277-AS1, ZNF277 | G | 2.01 |
| rs545197812 | 2e-11 | NAV1, IPO9-AS1 | G | 3.57 |
| rs546882621 | 3e-11 | IPO4 | G | 3.79 |
| rs189033558 | 3e-11 | BNC1 | G | 2.07 |
| rs35441103 | 1e-08 | TENM2 | ? | |
| rs185308479 | 3e-08 | GNAL | ? | |
| rs181428954 | 4e-08 | CDKN2AIPNLP3 - AZU1P1 | ? | |
| rs1308856665 | 1e-07 | AK6P1 - ZNF970P | ? | |
| rs9820329 | 1e-07 | OR7E29P - OR7E93P | ? | |
| rs4537545 | 3e-07 | IL6R | ? | |
| rs74818536 | 4e-07 | BBX | ? | |
| rs62285272 | 7e-07 | PPP4R2P2 - SDHAP1 | ? |
Top studies (by case count)
| Study | Lead author | Year | Cases | Controls | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GCST90476165 | Verma A | 2024 | 72,843 | 328,574 | Diversity and scale: Genetic architecture of 2068 traits in the VA Million Veteran Program. |
| GCST90476166 | Verma A | 2024 | 20,317 | 412,161 | Diversity and scale: Genetic architecture of 2068 traits in the VA Million Veteran Program. |
| GCST90478743 | Verma A | 2024 | 19,518 | 87,520 | Diversity and scale: Genetic architecture of 2068 traits in the VA Million Veteran Program. |
| GCST90480437 | Verma A | 2024 | 19,518 | 87,520 | Diversity and scale: Genetic architecture of 2068 traits in the VA Million Veteran Program. |
| GCST90652129 | Liu TY | 2025 | 11,732 | 204,800 | Diversity and longitudinal records: Genetic architecture of disease associations and polygenic risk in the Taiwanese Han population. |
| GCST90478746 | Verma A | 2024 | 11,729 | 421,230 | Diversity and scale: Genetic architecture of 2068 traits in the VA Million Veteran Program. |
| GCST90478742 | Verma A | 2024 | 9,091 | 44,352 | Diversity and scale: Genetic architecture of 2068 traits in the VA Million Veteran Program. |
| GCST90436569 | Zhou W | 2018 | 7,451 | 397,635 | Efficiently controlling for case-control imbalance and sample relatedness in large-scale genetic association studies. |
| GCST90478752 | Verma A | 2024 | 7,190 | 431,939 | Diversity and scale: Genetic architecture of 2068 traits in the VA Million Veteran Program. |
| GCST90436573 | Zhou W | 2018 | 5,547 | 397,635 | Efficiently controlling for case-control imbalance and sample relatedness in large-scale genetic association studies. |
Variant details and genetic-evidence tiers
Tier distribution (top 50 variants)
| Tier | Variants |
|---|---|
| Tier 1: coding | 1 |
| Tier 2: splice/UTR | 2 |
| Tier 3: regulatory | 0 |
| Tier 4: intronic/intergenic | 17 |
MAF distribution
| Bucket | Variants |
|---|---|
| common (>=0.05) | 12 |
| low_freq (0.01-0.05) | 0 |
| rare (<0.01) | 4 |
| unknown | 4 |
Functional consequences
| Consequence | Count |
|---|---|
| intron_variant | 13 |
| unknown | 2 |
| 3_prime_UTR_variant | 2 |
| intergenic_variant | 2 |
| missense_variant | 1 |
Top variants
| rsID | Chr | Pos | Alleles | MAF | Consequence | Gene | p-value | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| rs1558902 | 16 | 53769662 | T>A | 0.403 | intron_variant | FTO | 2e-28 | Tier 4: intronic/intergenic |
| rs9927317 | 16 | 53787084 | C>A,G,T | 0.393 | intron_variant | FTO | 2e-27 | Tier 4: intronic/intergenic |
| rs62048402 | 16 | 53769311 | G>A,T | 0.33 | intron_variant | FTO | 3e-25 | Tier 4: intronic/intergenic |
| rs17817712 | 16 | 53787213 | A>G,T | 0.322 | intron_variant | FTO | 1e-23 | Tier 4: intronic/intergenic |
| chr11:28741136 | 0.439 | 3e-16 | Tier 4: intronic/intergenic | |||||
| chr14:99669005 | 0.331 | 5e-15 | Tier 4: intronic/intergenic | |||||
| rs13107325 | 4 | 102267552 | C>A,T | 0.083 | missense_variant | SLC39A8 | 2e-13 | Tier 1: coding |
| rs3933088 | 14 | 99238994 | T>A,C | 0.364 | intron_variant | BCL11B | 1e-12 | Tier 4: intronic/intergenic |
| rs552158554 | 7 | 112344066 | G>A,C | 0.001 | 3_prime_UTR_variant | ZNF277-AS1, ZNF277 | 9e-12 | Tier 2: splice/UTR |
| rs545197812 | 1 | 201713642 | G>A | 0 | intron_variant | NAV1, IPO9-AS1 | 2e-11 | Tier 4: intronic/intergenic |
| rs546882621 | 14 | 24184451 | G>A,T | 0 | intron_variant | IPO4 | 3e-11 | Tier 4: intronic/intergenic |
| rs189033558 | 15 | 83273180 | G>T | 0.001 | intron_variant | BNC1 | 3e-11 | Tier 4: intronic/intergenic |
| rs35441103 | 5 | 167330512 | C>A,G,T | 0.05 | intron_variant | TENM2 | 1e-08 | Tier 4: intronic/intergenic |
| rs185308479 | 18 | 11882491 | T>G | 3_prime_UTR_variant | GNAL | 3e-08 | Tier 2: splice/UTR | |
| rs181428954 | 13 | 39854242 | C>T | intron_variant | CDKN2AIPNLP3 - AZU1P1 | 4e-08 | Tier 4: intronic/intergenic | |
| rs1308856665 | 12 | 34713888 | C>A,G | intergenic_variant | AK6P1 - ZNF970P | 1e-07 | Tier 4: intronic/intergenic | |
| rs9820329 | 3 | 125713674 | G>A,C | 0.05 | intergenic_variant | OR7E29P - OR7E93P | 1e-07 | Tier 4: intronic/intergenic |
| rs4537545 | 1 | 154446403 | C>T | 0.05 | intron_variant | IL6R | 3e-07 | Tier 4: intronic/intergenic |
| rs74818536 | 3 | 107574707 | T>C | intron_variant | BBX | 4e-07 | Tier 4: intronic/intergenic | |
| rs62285272 | 3 | 195943607 | C>A,T | 0.05 | intron_variant | PPP4R2P2 - SDHAP1 | 7e-07 | Tier 4: intronic/intergenic |
Genes & proteins
No associated-gene cohort resolved for this disease. Atlas builds the molecular and therapeutic sections — associated genes, protein families, druggability, pathways, interactions, and drug associations — by aggregating over a disease’s associated genes (resolved via GWAS / GenCC / ClinVar / CIViC), and none resolved here. This is expected for antibody-mediated, autoimmune, or otherwise non-gene-defined conditions; the curated evidence for this disease is its clinical features, GWAS susceptibility, and clinical trials (above).
Function
No pathway enrichment — requires an associated-gene cohort.
Therapeutics
Drugs indicated for this disease
1 approved, 12 in late-stage (phase 3) trials. Disease-direct ChEMBL indications, not inferred from the associated-gene cohort below.
| Drug | Development status |
|---|---|
| Clindamycin Phosphate | Approved (phase 4) |
| Alteplase | Phase 3 (in late-stage trials) |
| Dalbavancin | Phase 3 (in late-stage trials) |
| Fentanyl | Phase 3 (in late-stage trials) |
| Linezolid | Phase 3 (in late-stage trials) |
| Metronidazole | Phase 3 (in late-stage trials) |
| Moxifloxacin | Phase 3 (in late-stage trials) |
| Piperacillin | Phase 3 (in late-stage trials) |
| Sodium Chloride | Phase 3 (in late-stage trials) |
| Sulfamethoxazole | Phase 3 (in late-stage trials) |
| Tazobactam | Phase 3 (in late-stage trials) |
| Trimethoprim | Phase 3 (in late-stage trials) |
| Vancomycin | Phase 3 (in late-stage trials) |
Clinical trials & evidence
Clinical trials
Clinical trials: 62.
Phase distribution (across all retrieved trials)
| Phase | Trials |
|---|---|
| Not specified | 33 |
| PHASE3 | 11 |
| PHASE4 | 10 |
| PHASE2 | 5 |
| PHASE1 | 2 |
| PHASE2/PHASE3 | 1 |
Top trials by phase / activity
| NCT | Phase | Status | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCT06284473 | PHASE4 | RECRUITING | Ketamine as a Supplement to Local Anesthesia for Minor Procedures |
| NCT00280514 | PHASE4 | COMPLETED | Plasma and Abscess Fluid Pharmacokinetics of Cefpirome and Moxifloxacin After Single and Multiple Dose Administration |
| NCT00352612 | PHASE4 | COMPLETED | Comparison of Cephalexin Versus Clindamycin for Suspected CA-MRSA Skin Infections |
| NCT00746109 | PHASE4 | COMPLETED | Study of Wound Packing After Superficial Skin Abscess Drainage |
| NCT01673061 | PHASE4 | TERMINATED | Vapocoolant Spray for Numbing Small Boils Before Incision and Drainage |
| NCT01881997 | PHASE4 | WITHDRAWN | Pain Management in ED for Incision and Drainage of Abscess |
| NCT02635282 | PHASE4 | COMPLETED | IN Ketamine Vs IN Midazolam and Fentanyl for Abscess I&D |
| NCT02703233 | PHASE4 | WITHDRAWN | Effectiveness of Nitrous Oxide in the ED |
| NCT02922686 | PHASE4 | UNKNOWN | Penicillin for the Emergency Department Outpatient Treatment of CELLulitis |
| NCT04141787 | PHASE4 | UNKNOWN | Ceftriaxone as Home IV for Staph Infections |
| NCT00402727 | PHASE3 | COMPLETED | Comparison of Sequential IV/PO Moxifloxacin With IV Piperacillin/Tazobactam Followed by PO Amoxicillin/Clavulanic Acid in Patients With a Complicated Skin and Skin Structure Infection |
| NCT00417768 | PHASE2/PHASE3 | TERMINATED | Safety and Effectiveness of tPA in Intra-abdominal Abscesses |
| NCT00619710 | PHASE3 | COMPLETED | Complicated Skin and Skin Structure Infections |
| NCT00691600 | PHASE3 | COMPLETED | Management of Skin and Soft Tissue Abscesses in Pediatric Patients After Incision and Drainage |
| NCT01085929 | PHASE3 | COMPLETED | Incision and Drainage Versus Needle Aspiration in Soft Tissue Abscesses |
| NCT01252719 | PHASE3 | COMPLETED | Oritavancin Versus IV Vancomycin for the Treatment of Participants With Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infection (SOLO I) |
| NCT01252732 | PHASE3 | COMPLETED | Oritavancin Versus IV Vancomycin for the Treatment of Patients With Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infection |
| NCT01339091 | PHASE3 | COMPLETED | Efficacy and Safety of Dalbavancin for the Treatment of Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections |
| NCT01431339 | PHASE3 | COMPLETED | Efficacy and Safety of Dalbavancin for the Treatment of Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections |
| NCT01549002 | PHASE3 | COMPLETED | Efficacy of Intranasal Fentanyl at Reducing Pain During Abscess Incision and Drainage (I&D) in Children |
| NCT02127970 | PHASE3 | COMPLETED | Single Dose vs. Two Dose Regimen of Dalbavancin for the Treatment of Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections |
| NCT03872700 | PHASE3 | COMPLETED | Intranasal Fentanyl as an Adjunct to Lidocaine Infiltration in Adults Undergoing Abscess Incision and Drainage |
| NCT06052956 | PHASE2 | NOT_YET_RECRUITING | Efficacy of Methylene Blue Photodynamic Therapy for Treatment of Deep Tissue Abscesses |
| NCT00061633 | PHASE2 | COMPLETED | Phase 2 Trial of TD 6424 (Telavancin) Versus Standard Therapy for Complicated Gram Positive Skin and Skin Structure Infections (Gram Positive cSSSI) |
| NCT00514527 | PHASE2 | COMPLETED | A Study for Patients With Complicated Skin and Skin Structure Infections |
| NCT00646958 | PHASE2 | COMPLETED | Safety and Efficacy Study of Oxazolidinones to Treat Uncomplicated Skin Infections |
| NCT00984022 | PHASE2 | COMPLETED | Aquacel Versus Iodoform Gauze for Filling Abscess Cavity Following Incision and Drainage |
| NCT01557426 | PHASE1 | COMPLETED | Soft Tissue Ultrasound of Infections |
| NCT02240498 | PHASE1 | COMPLETED | Safety and Feasibility Study of Methylene Blue Photodynamic Therapy to Sterilize Deep Tissue Abscess Cavities |
| NCT00137085 | Not specified | COMPLETED | Ketamine Versus Fentanyl as an Adjunct to Propofol-Assisted Emergency Department Procedural Sedation |
| NCT00595881 | Not specified | COMPLETED | Emergency Bedside Ultrasound for Pediatric Soft Tissue Infections |
| NCT00737269 | Not specified | COMPLETED | A Complicated Skin and Soft-tissue Infection Patient Registry |
| NCT00822692 | Not specified | COMPLETED | Trial of Septra for Uncomplicated Skin Abscesses in Patients at Risk for Community Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Infection |
| NCT00829686 | Not specified | COMPLETED | Trial of Antibiotic Treatment for Skin Abscess in Patients at Risk for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) Infection |
| NCT00867789 | Not specified | TERMINATED | Antibiotics Versus Placebo in the Treatment of Abscesses in the Emergency Department |
| NCT00900510 | Not specified | WITHDRAWN | Antibiotic Therapy After Incision and Drainage for Abscess |
| NCT01076049 | Not specified | TERMINATED | The Effect of Irrisept for Irrigation of Skin and Soft Tissue Infections (Irrisept USF Study) |
| NCT01145365 | Not specified | COMPLETED | Study to Look at Benefit of Surgical Drainage Before Beginning Medical Therapy for Crohns Perianal Fistulas |
| NCT01186900 | Not specified | TERMINATED | Comparison of Ultrasound-Guided Needle Aspiration and Open Incision and Drainage for Cutaneous Abscesses |
| NCT01235546 | Not specified | COMPLETED | Study of Effectiveness and Safety of Azithromycin-based Extended-spectrum Prophylaxis to Prevent Post Cesarean Infection |
Drugs tested across these trials (top 30)
| Molecule | Max phase | Trials referencing |
|---|---|---|
| METHYLENE BLUE CATION | 4 | 6 |
| CLINDAMYCIN | 4 | 4 |
| CEPHALEXIN ANHYDROUS | 4 | 3 |
| LINEZOLID | 4 | 3 |
| NITROUS OXIDE | 4 | 3 |
| DALBAVANCIN | 4 | 2 |
| FENTANYL | 4 | 2 |
| TRIMETHOPRIM | 4 | 2 |
| CEFAZOLIN | 4 | 1 |
| CEFPIROME | 4 | 1 |
| CEFTOLOZANE | 4 | 1 |
| CEFTRIAXONE | 4 | 1 |
| CLAVULANIC ACID | 4 | 1 |
| KETAMINE | 4 | 1 |
| LIDOCAINE | 4 | 1 |
| MEROPENEM | 4 | 1 |
| ORITAVANCIN | 4 | 1 |
| OXYGEN | 4 | 1 |
| PENICILLIN V | 4 | 1 |
| PIPERACILLIN | 4 | 1 |
| SULFAMETHOXAZOLE | 4 | 1 |
| TELAVANCIN | 4 | 1 |
| CEPHALOSPORIN | 3 | 1 |
| FLOXACILLIN | 3 | 1 |
| RADEZOLID | 2 | 1 |
| CHEMBL4778239 | 0 | 2 |
| CHEMBL4785392 | 0 | 2 |
| CHEMBL6174705 | 0 | 2 |
| CHEMBL4802121 | 0 | 1 |
| CHEMBL5271499 | 0 | 1 |
Related Atlas pages
- Drugs: Methylene Blue Cation, Clindamycin, Cephalexin, Linezolid, Nitrous Oxide, Dalbavancin, Fentanyl, Trimethoprim, Cefazolin, Cefpirome, Ceftolozane, Ceftriaxone, Clavulanic Acid, Ketamine, Lidocaine, Meropenem, Oritavancin, Oxygen, Penicillin V, Piperacillin, Sulfamethoxazole, Telavancin, Cephalosporin, Floxacillin