A viral infection of the hands: Orf

Orf is a viral infection transmitted to humans from sheep and goats. In this report, three cases with orf were presented.Two of our patients had lesions on only one hand, whereas one patient had additional lesions on the other hand. Thelesions were most commonly located on the dorsal aspect of the fingers and typically started as a painless itchy maculethat became papular and, subsequently, purulent with a necrotic center. The lesions were managed conservatively, andno specific therapy was undertaken. The lesions regressed spontaneously and slowly without scarring during the nextfive weeks. In conclusion, we are of the opinion that human infection with orf will continue to occur, and can occur anywhere;thus, all physicians should be aware of the possibility of orf infection and consider orf in the differential diagnosisof cases with relevant animal exposure. J Microbiol Infect Dis 2013; 3(1): 41-44Key words: Orf, skin infection, zoonoses