science
Dermatophilosis Cases Confirmed in European Men Who Have Sex With Men
Researchers in France, Spain and Germany have diagnosed clusters of dermatophilosis, a bacterial skin infection typically seen in livestock, among men who have sex with men with no known animal contact. All reported cases have been mild, presenting as rashes or pustules in areas exposed during sexual contact, and have resolved with antibiotics or without treatment.
May 11, 4:30 AM·3m read1 source
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European researchers have identified clusters of dermatophilosis infections among men who have sex with men in Spain, France and Germany. The skin condition, caused by the bacterium Dermatophilus congolensis, typically affects livestock and had previously been reported in humans only in cases involving direct animal contact.
None of the diagnosed men reported exposure to livestock. The first clusters were documented in Barcelona and Lyon. Vicente Descalzo, an internal medicine specialist in the STI/HIV unit at Barcelona’s Drassanes-Hospital Vall d’Hebron, was the first author of the Spanish paper.
Matthieu Degreze, a junior scientist at the University Hospital of Lyon, led the French study. Both teams reported that most infected men had attended saunas before developing symptoms. The primary symptom is a rash with pimples or pustules appearing in areas of the body exposed during sexual contact.
All cases to date have been mild and have either cleared without intervention or responded to antibiotics. Genetic sequencing of bacterial samples from eight cases in Lyon showed close similarity. The Lyon researchers wrote that the genomic relatedness and shared sexual exposures suggest interhuman transmission within sexual networks.
The Barcelona team reported similar genetic findings among its nine initial cases, indicating a single introduction of the bacterium into that community. After the papers were posted online, a physician in Berlin contacted Descalzo to report additional cases in Germany.
Since submitting its paper, the Lyon team has identified 25 cases total across Lyon, Paris, Bordeaux, Saint-Etienne and Annecy. Two of those individuals had recent travel to Turkey and Italy. The bacterium is known to spread more efficiently in humid environments.
