Erysipeloid

/ˌɛrɪˈsɪpəˌlɔɪd/ adjective

Definition

Resembling erysipelas in appearance; a chronic skin infection caused by the bacterium Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae.

Etymology

From erysipelas combined with -oid ('resembling'). Though it looks like erysipelas, erysipeloid is a distinct bacterial infection often acquired through handling contaminated fish, shellfish, or meat, with different characteristics and causes.

Kelly Says

Erysipeloid is sometimes called 'fish handler's disease' because it loves to infect people who work with raw seafood—it's a occupational hazard that medieval fish markets dealt with long before modern food safety!

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