Eczema herpeticum is a widespread herpes simplex infection that favors eczema-damaged skin, including skin involved with atopic dermatitis. Here we report a case of a 27-year-old woman who presented with febrile, painful, punched-out, erosive, macular eruptions and crusts on her face, upper trunk, and antecubital fossae. Polymerase chain reaction analyses of the blood and skin lesions were positive for type 1 herpes simplex virus, and blood cultures established on admission showed methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus. She was diagnosed with bacteremia superimposed on eczema herpeticum. True bacteremia rather than contaminated blood cultures was suspected because her fever did not improve after 2 days despite the administration of antivirals. Repeated scratches to the lesional skin most likely aggravated the epidermal barrier damage, enabling the penetration of the dermal vessels by colonized S. aureus.

Background: Scabies is a parasitic infection caused by the Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis mite. Its incidence has been increasing in recent years; however, no study has evaluated the clinical aspects of scabies in children and adolescents in Korea. Objective: To evaluate the clinical characteristics and epidemiological features of scabies among children and adolescents and to investigate the clinical efficacy of topical therapies for the treatment of scabies. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 62 patients under 18 years of age with scabies during a 10-year-period. Results: Sixty-two patients with 62 scabies were investigated. These patients showed scabies mites or eggs under microscopic examination or showed clinical improvement after treatment. There were 36 boys (58.1%) and 26 girls (41.9%). The mean age of the boys was 9.3 years and that of the girls was 8.2 years. The most common primary lesions were erythematous papules (93.5%), and the commonest sites of the skin lesions were the hand (64.5%) and the trunk (61.3%). The most common suspected mode of transmission was through contact among families living together. The mean time to complete treatment was 46.1 days using 1% gamma benzene hexachloride lotion, 37.1 days using 10% crotamiton ointment, and 22.8 days using 5% permethrin cream. Conclusion We confirmed the epidemiological features and clinical characteristics of scabies in children and adolescents, including contact sources and treatment. This study could provide useful data for the prevention and management of scabies in children and adolescents.

Eczema herpeticum is a widespread herpes simplex infection that favors eczema-damaged skin, including skin involved with atopic dermatitis. Here we report a case of a 27-year-old woman who presented with febrile, painful, punched-out, erosive, macular eruptions and crusts on her face, upper trunk, and antecubital fossae. Polymerase chain reaction analyses of the blood and skin lesions were positive for type 1 herpes simplex virus, and blood cultures established on admission showed methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus. She was diagnosed with bacteremia superimposed on eczema herpeticum. True bacteremia rather than contaminated blood cultures was suspected because her fever did not improve after 2 days despite the administration of antivirals. Repeated scratches to the lesional skin most likely aggravated the epidermal barrier damage, enabling the penetration of the dermal vessels by colonized S. aureus.