PUSTULAR BACTERIDS OF THE HANDS AND FEET

Abstract

In a previous article¹ one of us (G. C. A.) reported a group of cases of recalcitrant pustular eruptions occurring on the palms and soles in which the causative rôle of focal infections was stressed. The disorder as studied in fifteen patients showed four main characteristics: 1. There are chronic recalcitrant pustular eruptions symmetrically located on the palms and soles. 2. The histologic picture shows pustules deep in the epidermis, without much acanthosis and parakeratosis, and the microscopic changes resemble those seen in cases of trichophytids. 3. The condition in our patients had a direct relationship to focal infection and was often accompanied by leukocytosis and by positive cutaneous reactions to staphylococcus and streptococcus toxins. Cultures of material from the lesions were consistently sterile. 4. Cures resulted when the focal infection was identified and removed. CLINICAL FEATURES The pustular eruptions of the hands and feet in these