Carrion’s Disease and the Skin (For professionals)

Synonyms: Verruga peruana, Peruvian warts, Oroya fever, Carrion’s disease

Spanish (Español): enfermedad de Carrión, fiebre de la Oroya, verruga peruana

• Limited to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, the disease is caused by a facultative intracellular bacterium called Bartonella Bacilliformis. It is transmitted through a sandfly bite.
• Treatment consists of antibiotics.

• It is characterized by an acute and chronic phase.

1. Acute phase (Carrion’s Disease): Fever, hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, jaundice…no skin manifestation.
2. Chronic Phase (Verruga peruana or Peruvian warts): Clinical symptoms comparable to the acute phase..but there is a rash on the skin due to endothelial cell proliferation. Miliary (1-4 mm in diameter), nodular and mular (>5mm in diameter) forms are described.

Bibliography

Dermatology Secrets 3rd Edition

Wikipedia