A woman brings her 6 month old son to the dr. The chief complaint is a group of lesions on the child's back. In the exam room, a toddler is leaning over playing with the baby who is giggling and appears healthy. The baby was breast fed from birth through his 4th month. The spots on the baby's back popped up 2 days ago and the baby hasn't had a fever and seems well. When you pick the baby up there are 7 to 8 blisterlike lesions localized to the left of the baby's spine. They have clear fluid in them, the lesions are diagnostic.

My question is what are the lesions diagnostic of? The lesions indicate that the child experienced a common childhood illness earlier: Which one?

Hmmmmm. http://images.google.com/images?q=chickenpox&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00177/pox385_177027a.jpg

I wasn't sure if it was varicella because i read articles that said chicken pox was red or pink and usually occurs on the stomachs of babies. Just to be clear the leasions are diagnostic of varicella and the child must have experienced chickenpox before right?

yes.

Here is another possibility. however, shingles in babies usually caused noticeable discomfort in the child, and fever.

http://www.ehow.com/facts_4963185_symptoms-shingles-babies.html

bacteria

Based on the information provided, the presence of seven to eight blister-like lesions localized to the left of the baby's spine, containing clear fluid, suggests a specific childhood illness. To determine which illness it might be, we can consider the symptoms described.

One common childhood illness that presents with blisters containing clear fluid is varicella, also known as chickenpox. Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus and is characterized by a rash of itchy, fluid-filled blisters. The rash typically starts on the trunk and then spreads to other parts of the body, including the back.

To be certain of the diagnosis, a healthcare professional would need to confirm it through a physical examination, taking into account the appearance and distribution of the lesions. Additionally, the doctor may inquire about other symptoms, such as fever or general malaise, that could further support a diagnosis of chickenpox.

It is important to note that this is a diagnostic suggestion based on the given information, and an accurate diagnosis can only be made by a healthcare professional after an evaluation.