Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsHow Do You Get Erythrasma?DiagnosisTreatmentPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
How Do You Get Erythrasma?
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
There are two types:
The rash itself is not serious but may be an early warning sign of a more serious condition. The treatment may involve improved hygiene and topical or oral antibiotics if the condition is severe.
This article describes the symptoms, cause, diagnosis, and treatment of erythrasma. It also offers tips on how to avoid this generally harmless skin infection.
What Does Erythrasma Look Like?
Erythrasma mainly occurs in so-calledintertriginousareas of the body where two skin areas touch or rub together. These include thearmpits, groin, navel, under the breasts, and between the toes. This is where moisture can become trapped, creating the ideal environment for bacterial growth.
Symptoms of erythrasma include:
Most people experience interdigital erythrasma, mainly in the webbing of the third, fourth, and fifth toes.
Generalized erythrasma is more widespread and will often move beyond intertriginous areas to the trunk and torso.
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See PhotoDermNet / CC BY-NC-ND
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See Photo
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.
While complications are rare, erythrasma can co-occur withcontact dermatitis, afungal skin infection, or an unrelated bacterial infection (such as astaph infection). In rare cases, the infection can spread to deeper tissues, causing anabscess(pocket of pus) or potentially serious skin infection known ascellulitis.
Risk factors forC. minutissimumovergrowth include:
People who live in shared living spaces (such as residential nursing homes, student dorms, and barracks) are also more likely to get erythrasma.
How Common Is Erythrasma?All told, around 4% of the world’s population will experience erythrasma at least once in their lifetimes, particularly those who live in tropical or subtropical regions.
How Common Is Erythrasma?
All told, around 4% of the world’s population will experience erythrasma at least once in their lifetimes, particularly those who live in tropical or subtropical regions.
How Can You Tell if You Have Erythrasma?
If in doubt, your healthcare provider can use a specialized light, known as aWood’s lamp, to confirm the diagnosis. Under the ultraviolet light, the patch will turn a fluorescent coral-pink color.
A Wood’s lamp can help differentiate erythrasma from other skin conditions:
If the infection is severe or recurrent, a scraping of skin can beculturedin the lab to see if there are any co-existing fungal or bacterial infections.
Recurrent or widespread erythrasma may warrant ablood glucose testto check for type 2 diabetes or anHIV testto check for HIV.
How Do You Get Rid of Erythrasma?
Erythrasma may be treated with topical or oral antibiotics. To prevent recurrences, it may help to wash with an antibacterial soap to help bring the bacteria under control.
If the infection is widespread, atopical antibioticor microbicide can be prescribed, such as 2% clindamycin, Fucidin ointment (sodium fusidate), and Whitfield’s ointment (benzoic acid plus salicylic acid). These medications are typically applied twice daily for one to two weeks. Side effects include rash, redness, drying, itching, and nausea.
Serious infections may requireoral antibioticslike clarithromycin, erythromycin, tetracycline, or chloramphenicol. Treatment may only require a single dose (for clarithromycin) or up to five daily doses (for erythromycin). Side effects include rash, nausea, stomach ache, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and vomiting.
WarningTetracyclinecan cause fetal harm and should be avoided during pregnancy since there are other, safer drugs available for treatment.
Warning
Tetracyclinecan cause fetal harm and should be avoided during pregnancy since there are other, safer drugs available for treatment.
How to Prevent Erythrasma
Erythrasma is sometimes difficult to avoid if you live in a hot, humid climate. This is especially true if you work outdoors.
Even so, there are a few simple ways to avoid erythrasma and other opportunistic skin infections:
If you have recurrent bouts of erythrasma, speak with your healthcare provider about a topical antifungal likeMicotin (miconazole) which can help prevent recurrence without the risk ofantibiotic resistance.
Summary
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.Erythrasma.Forouzan P, Cohen PR.Erythrasma revisited: diagnosis, differential diagnoses, and comprehensive review of treatment.Cureus.2020 Sep;12(9):e10733. doi:10.7759/cureus.10733Rao AG, Karanam A, Farheen SS.Erythrasma of palm: presentation at the rare site.Indian Dermatol Online J. 2019;10(3):356–357. doi:10.4103/idoj.IDOJ_249_18Blasco-Morente G, Arias-Santiago S, Pérez-López I, Martínez-López A.Coral-red fluorescence of erythrasma plaque.Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2016;16(3):e381–e382. doi:10.18295/squmj.2016.16.03.023Cross R, Ling C, Day N, McGready R, Paris D.Revisiting doxycycline in pregnancy and early childhood – time to rebuild its reputation?.Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2016;15(3):367-382. doi:10.1517/14740338.2016.1133584Additional ReadingAmerican Osteopathic College of Dermatology.Erythrasma.DermNetNZ.Erythrasma.Sebaratnam, D. and Lee, S.Corynebacterium minutissimum infection: erythrasma.Med J Aust.2017;207(5): 189. DOI: 10.5694/mja16.01081.
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.Erythrasma.Forouzan P, Cohen PR.Erythrasma revisited: diagnosis, differential diagnoses, and comprehensive review of treatment.Cureus.2020 Sep;12(9):e10733. doi:10.7759/cureus.10733Rao AG, Karanam A, Farheen SS.Erythrasma of palm: presentation at the rare site.Indian Dermatol Online J. 2019;10(3):356–357. doi:10.4103/idoj.IDOJ_249_18Blasco-Morente G, Arias-Santiago S, Pérez-López I, Martínez-López A.Coral-red fluorescence of erythrasma plaque.Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2016;16(3):e381–e382. doi:10.18295/squmj.2016.16.03.023Cross R, Ling C, Day N, McGready R, Paris D.Revisiting doxycycline in pregnancy and early childhood – time to rebuild its reputation?.Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2016;15(3):367-382. doi:10.1517/14740338.2016.1133584Additional ReadingAmerican Osteopathic College of Dermatology.Erythrasma.DermNetNZ.Erythrasma.Sebaratnam, D. and Lee, S.Corynebacterium minutissimum infection: erythrasma.Med J Aust.2017;207(5): 189. DOI: 10.5694/mja16.01081.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.Erythrasma.Forouzan P, Cohen PR.Erythrasma revisited: diagnosis, differential diagnoses, and comprehensive review of treatment.Cureus.2020 Sep;12(9):e10733. doi:10.7759/cureus.10733Rao AG, Karanam A, Farheen SS.Erythrasma of palm: presentation at the rare site.Indian Dermatol Online J. 2019;10(3):356–357. doi:10.4103/idoj.IDOJ_249_18Blasco-Morente G, Arias-Santiago S, Pérez-López I, Martínez-López A.Coral-red fluorescence of erythrasma plaque.Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2016;16(3):e381–e382. doi:10.18295/squmj.2016.16.03.023Cross R, Ling C, Day N, McGready R, Paris D.Revisiting doxycycline in pregnancy and early childhood – time to rebuild its reputation?.Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2016;15(3):367-382. doi:10.1517/14740338.2016.1133584
American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.Erythrasma.
Forouzan P, Cohen PR.Erythrasma revisited: diagnosis, differential diagnoses, and comprehensive review of treatment.Cureus.2020 Sep;12(9):e10733. doi:10.7759/cureus.10733
Rao AG, Karanam A, Farheen SS.Erythrasma of palm: presentation at the rare site.Indian Dermatol Online J. 2019;10(3):356–357. doi:10.4103/idoj.IDOJ_249_18
Blasco-Morente G, Arias-Santiago S, Pérez-López I, Martínez-López A.Coral-red fluorescence of erythrasma plaque.Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2016;16(3):e381–e382. doi:10.18295/squmj.2016.16.03.023
Cross R, Ling C, Day N, McGready R, Paris D.Revisiting doxycycline in pregnancy and early childhood – time to rebuild its reputation?.Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2016;15(3):367-382. doi:10.1517/14740338.2016.1133584
American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.Erythrasma.DermNetNZ.Erythrasma.Sebaratnam, D. and Lee, S.Corynebacterium minutissimum infection: erythrasma.Med J Aust.2017;207(5): 189. DOI: 10.5694/mja16.01081.
DermNetNZ.Erythrasma.
Sebaratnam, D. and Lee, S.Corynebacterium minutissimum infection: erythrasma.Med J Aust.2017;207(5): 189. DOI: 10.5694/mja16.01081.
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