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PetteriCarlson

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 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.

Treatment Antibiotics for Erysipeloid

Prevention

  • Good occupational practice, covering hand wounds and erosions

Evidence Summaries