Thumb necrotic ulcers caused by weeverfish. Case report and review of the literature

Abstract

a 59-year-old Caucasian man presented to our department with a three weeks history of erythema and edema of the left hand, and a necrotic ulcer of the left thumb, after a holiday in Greece, associated with extreme pain. No other skin or mucosal lesions were present. Systemic symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, hypotension, seizures, cardiac arrhythmias, or paralysis were denied. The local erythematous reaction started after fishing, during which the patient was attacked by a weeverfish (Fig. 1A); the wound was treated with topical antiseptics and antibioticum ointments, and seemed to granulate, but in the following week massive edema of the left hand developed (Fig. 1B), together with a rapidly progressive necrotic ulceration of the left thumb (Fig. 1C).

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