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 1). 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 2).
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.