Information
Editors
Erysipeloid
Essentials
- The bacterium that causes erysipeloid (Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae) can be found in many animals (pigs, fish, birds).
- Humans can be infected through skin erosions.
- Occurs as a rare occupational disease among animal farmers, butchers, fishermen, veterinarians etc.
Symptoms
- Swollen, bluish, well-demarcated skin lesions usually in the hands (picture ). There is no suppuration.
- There is usually intense pain, and itching and a prickling sensations are also common.
- Local lymph nodes often swell, but otherwise systemic symptoms are rare. Septicaemia and endocarditis may sometimes occur.
- The disease is self-limiting within a few weeks. The skin remains brown and often scaly (picture ).
Diagnosis
- The diagnosis can be made on the basis of history and the typical clinical picture. Staining and culture from a biopsy sample or tissue fluid obtained by aspiration can be performed but is rarely indicated.
Prevention
- Good occupational practice, covering hand wounds and erosions