In a comprehensive 43-page document freely available in Clinical Infectious Diseases, the Infectious Diseases Society of America has updated its guidelines for diagnosing and managing skin and soft-tissue infections. Of special interest to orthopaedic surgeons, the guidelines include an algorithm for simpler analysis and treatment of surgical-site infections and updated approaches to treating localized purulent infections in light of concern about drug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus.