Erythrasma
Erythrasma: A chronic superficial slowly spreading skin infection, especially in the folds of the body and webs between the toes, caused by a bacterium called Corynebacterium minutissimum. Erythrasma most often affects adults, especially those with diabetes, and people in the tropics.
Erythrasma looks like a chronic fungal infection. Scaling, cracks, and slight maceration (softening) typically occur in the toe webs, almost always the 3rd and 4th interspaces. Where the thighs contact the scrotum, sharp-edged plaques first appear irregular and pink and later become brown with a fine scale. Erythrasma may also involve the armpits, creases below the breasts, abdominal folds, and perineum, particularly in obese middle-aged women or in patients with diabetes mellitus. Erythrasma can be distinguished from ringworm with a Wood’s light (a type of UV light) which causes erythrasma characteristically to fluoresce a coral-red color.
The treatment for erythrasma is an antibiotic (such as erythromycin or tetracycline). Antibacterial soaps can also help control the infection. However, recurrence 6 to 12 months later is commonplace.
Read Also:
- Erythrocyanosis
Erythrocyanosis: Discoloration on the legs that has a bluish or purple hue.
- Erythrocyte
Erythrocyte: A cell that contains hemoglobin and can carry oxygen to the body. Also called a red blood cell (RBC). The reddish color is due to the hemoglobin. Erythrocytes are biconcave in shape, which increases the cell’s surface area and facilitates the diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide. This shape is maintained by a cytoskeleton […]
- Erythrodermic psoriasis
Erythrodermic psoriasis: A particularly inflammatory form of psoriasis that often affects most of the body surface. It is the least common form of psoriasis and often appears on people who have unstable plaque psoriasis, where lesions are not clearly defined. The erythrodermic form of psoriasis is characterized by periodic, widespread, fiery redness of the skin. […]
- Erythroleukemia
Erythroleukemia: A form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that involves the cells that give rise to the erythrocytes (red blood cells). In erythroleukemia, the body produces large numbers of abnormal, immature red blood cells.
- Erythromycin
Erythromycin: Erythromycin is a common antibiotic for treating bacterial infection. Sold under many brand names, including EES, Erycin and Erythromia.