A case of orf (ecthyma contagiosum) with multiple lesions

Orf, also known as ecthyma contagiosum or contagious pustular dermatitis, is a viral zoonotic disease resulting from the direct or indirect contact of damaged skin with infected animals. The causative microorganism is the orf virus, an epitheliotropic DNA virus from the Parapoxvirus group, which generally infects sheep, goats, and various other domestic and wild ovine animals. A male patient presented to our outpatient clinic with multiple nodular lesions on his right wrist after incurring an injury during ovine slaughter. Diagnoses other than ecthyma contagiosum were eliminated by punch biopsy. Orf generally manifests as solitary lesions on hands and fingers, but it may rarely present as multiple nodular lesions. Here we present the case of a 42-year-old man diagnosed with orf based on clinical and histopathological findings.