Seal finger

Isolation of Bisgaardia hudsonensis from a seal bite. Case report and review of the literature on seal finger

“…7 It is probably caused by marine Mycoplasma found in the mouth and bodily waste of seals, walruses and sealions. 8 During the seal disease epidemic in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea in 1988, 2 strains of MycoplasmadMycoplasma phocarhinis and Mycoplasma phocacerebrale were isolated from the respiratory tracts, hearts, brains and eyes of the seals. 9 This discovery prompted attempts to link seal finger to Mycoplasma.…”

Seal finger: A case report and review of the literature

“…The differential diagnosis includes erysipeloid, atypical Mycobacterium (12) and Vibrio vulnificus infection (13). In erysipeloid, the erythema is much more intense and the causative organism Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae can be cultured quite easily (5).…”

“…The other main group consists of those who work with live seals or in a marine environment. This group includes biologists (3,13,14), psychologists (6), veterinarians (17), seal trainers (1,18), researchers (7) and aquarium personnel (5).…”

“…It was thought that because Mycoplasmas lack a cell wall, the disease does not respond to beta-lactam antibiotics (13).…”

Identification of a Novel Mycoplasma Species in a Patient With Septic Arthritis of the Hip and Seal Finger

“…Phylogenetic analysis indicated the sequence represents a putative novel species, taxonomically affiliated with the Mycoplasma equigenitalium/Mycoplasma elephantis cluster in the Mycoplasmataceae (Figure 2), a clade previously related to polyarthritis in elephants and raccoons [3,4] and a domestic cat bite abscess [5]. Its presumed spread from the patient's finger to his hips is remarkable because such dissemination is unprecedented in prior reports of seal finger zoonotic mycoplasmal infection of the hand [6][7][8][9]. There was no indication of any other kind of mycoplasma in the specimens.…”