Which combination represents common signs of a wound infection?

• A. Increased redness, drainage, odor, and fever.
• B. Absence of pain and decreased drainage.
• C. Swelling without redness.
• D. No fever with redness.

Answer: (A)

Signs of a wound infection involve both local inflammation and a systemic response. The best combination includes increased redness around the wound, more drainage (often pus), a foul odor, and fever. Redness reflects inflammation; drainage shows ongoing infection and tissue breakdown; odor comes from bacterial activity; fever indicates the body's systemic effort to fight the infection. The other options don’t fit because they either describe scenarios that don’t usually accompany infection (such as reduced drainage or lack of redness) or omit key infection indicators (like drainage and odor, or fever).