Herpetic Whitlow

Excerpt

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is common and is most often transmitted in childhood through direct physical contact. The most common infectious sites are oral mucosa (HSV-1) or genital mucosa (HSV-2). Rarely, the infection may be spread to the distal phalanx via direct inoculation and cause pain, swelling, erythema, and vesicles in an entity known as herpetic whitlow. This diagnosis is of particular importance given its close similarity in presentation to paronychia and its drastically differing treatment.