ORF OF THE HAND

Abstract

Introduction : The orf is a zoonotic infection which can be transmitted to humans.
Objective : The aim of our report is to describe this often misdiagnosed viral infection in a man with an orf of the hand appearing after the feast of the sacrifice.
Case report : A 40-year-old man with no past medical history, presented with a nodular lesion on the fifth right finger evolving for 3 weeks which had appeared 2 weeks after the feast of the sacrifice. Histology showed a vacuolar degeneration of keratinocytes probably of viral origin. Both histological aspect and the contact with sheep, led to the diagnosis of hand orf. Three weeks later the lesion had spontaneously resolved.
Conclusion : Orf is an infectious mucocutaneous disease due to a parapoxvirus. It is more frequent in professionally exposed persons (veterinary, butchers…). But, in our country, the frequency of the orf increases after the feast of the sacrifice and remains undiagnosed because patients do not consult. The diagnosis may be confirmed by electron microscopy, conventional histopathology or by isolation of the virus by PCR. Information on the benign character of the disease and reassurance of the infected patient are very important because lesion usually resolves spontaneously.