Who Does Pus Smell?

Pus is typically an opaque white-yellow color but can be tinted brown or even green. 1 It's usually odorless although certain types of bacteria produce foul-smelling pus. The medical term for pus is purulent exudate. It is also sometimes called purulent drainage, and the fluid is sometimes referred to as liquor puris.

Why does pus smell weird?

A bacterium called Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) produces a green pigment called pyocyanin. Pus from infections caused by P. aeruginosa is particularly foul-smelling.

Why does my abscess smell so bad?

The HS lump forms when the trapped sweat builds up, and the skin in the area gets inflamed and tender. The lump can grow into a painful boil under the skin until it bursts. If the boil gets infected with the bacteria in the skin, it becomes an abscess filled with pus which has an unpleasant odor when it drains.