Seal finger
| Seal finger | |
|---|---|
| Other names | spekkfinger, salen i fingret (Norwegian); salrota (Baltic languages) ('in the Gulf of Finland')[1] |
| Specialty | Infectious Disease |
| Causes | Contact with seals or other pinnipeds |
| Treatment | Large doses of antibiotics, including tetracycline; previously amputation |
Seal finger, also known as sealer's finger and spekkfinger (from the
Seal finger was first described scientifically in 1907.
The precise nature of the organism responsible for seal finger is unknown, as it has resisted culturing because most cases are promptly treated with antibiotics;[3] however, as seal finger can be treated with tetracycline or similar antibiotics, the causative organism is most likely bacterial.[7] In 1991, there was the first reported association of Mycoplasma with seal finger following a trainer sustaining a seal bite at the New England Aquarium.[7][5] In 1998, Baker, Ruoff, and Madoff showed that the organism is most likely a species of Mycoplasma called Mycoplasma phocacerebrale.[7] This Mycoplasma was isolated in an epidemic of seal disease occurring in the Baltic Sea.[8]
Notes
- PMID 21119845.
- ^ Seal Finger, from Alaska Science Forum (article #335), by T. Neil Davis; published August 24, 1979; archived at the University of Alaska Fairbanks; retrieved August 18, 2011
- ^ a b c Seal Finger - An enigma and a challenge; State of Alaska Epidemiology Bulletin #17; published August 5, 1983; retrieved August 18, 2011.
- JSTOR 40506548. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2011 – via the University of Calgary.
- ^ PMID 21119845.
- ^ SFGATE. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
- ^ PMID 9827264.
- PMID 26449564.
External links
- Working with Marine Mammals and Your Health, archive.org))