Seal finger: A case report and review of the literature

California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus) and Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina richardii) Bites and Contact Abrasions in Open-Water Swimmers: A Series of 11 Cases

“…38 Because of the risk of Mycoplasma infection, therapy with a tetracycline should not be delayed in cases of serious infection after pinniped bites. [9][10][11][12][13][14][15]17,37,38 A treatment failure with amoxicillin/clavulanate in 1 of our swimmers who was bitten by an unidentified pinniped (case 8), with subsequent rapid and complete healing with doxycycline, suggests a possible infection with Mycoplasma and reinforces the use of a tetracycline as first-line therapy for seal or sea lion bites with signs of infection. Although the foot rather than the hand was involved and there was no specific joint injury, the swelling and infection course were generally consistent with previously reported cases of seal finger.…”

“…[8][9][10][11][12][13]37 The finger is typically the site of the initial infection; however, adjacent fingers and the entire hand or arm subsequently can become swollen and lymphadenopathy can occur. 8,10,[12][13][14][15]37 The term seal finger has also been used more broadly to include serious cutaneous infections that originate in sites other than fingers (eg, in a case of an initial infection of the palm rather than the finger), 37 and includes infections of knife or other wounds 8,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]37 (eg, those incurred during pinniped necropsy or skinning, or handling of pinniped pelts), in addition to infections resulting specifically from pinniped bites. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] Sources vary as to which organisms can cause seal finger.…”

“…51 Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been isolated from pinnipeds, 52 but transmission of MRSA from pinnipeds to humans has not been reported. Infection with Vibrio spp could be considered in the differential diagnosis of infections after pinniped scratches or bites, 13 and Vibrio spp have been found in extraoral sites of pinnipeds. 49,50 However, we are not aware of a case in which Vibrio has been isolated from a pinniped bite wound in a human, and large reviews do not list Vibrio infection from pinniped contact as a substantial human health risk.…”

“…6,7 One newspaper account reported that 14 swimmers were bitten by a single sea lion in San Francisco Bay over the course of 4 days in November 2006. 5 Pinniped bites and their complications have also been reported in the medical literature in hunters, divers, and marine mammal workers, [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] but medical reports of bites in recreational swimmers are lacking.…”

The Seal Louse (Echinophthirius horridus) in the Dutch Wadden Sea: Investigation of Vector-Borne Pathogens and Morphological Adaptations

“…However, some mycoplasmas (e.g. M. phocicerebrale) are associated with seal mortality and zoonotic 'seal-nger' infection, a disease known among people who handle seals for more than hundred years [51]. Seal-nger lesions could progress to septic arthritis of joints if tetracycline based treatment is not received.…”