Some Finger Infections Similar To Whitlow And Their Causative Organisms

Finger infections are not one of that common sickness in Nigeria compared to other forms of diseases. However, when it strikes, to the common person, the blame is usually on whitlow.

Whitlow

Almost all who are infected turns to painkillers as well as antibiotic for treatment. Most of the time, these normally fails in the end. This could be because not all finger infections are whitlow and even most whitlow causative organism is are virus.

Infections of the finger can form enclosed pocket of pus (abscess) that is very painful. Depending on the type of finger infection, this can spread to other fingers and continue to expand compressing blood vessels to the fingertips. This leads to loss of blood supply to the tip of the finger, which can eventually cause permanent damage.

There are several types of finger infections some of which we shall consider here. These are the most common ones in our location.

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1. Felon

It causes extreme pain at the fingertip especially when pressure is applied. The finger swells with pus and looks red. As time goes on, bending the finger becomes painful. The cause of this type is usually a bacterium called streptococcus aureus.

Diagnosis

a. Tenderness
b. Redness
c. Firmness
d. Enlargement

Prevention

a. Always wear hand gloves to protect your fingers from pricks by small pieces of wood.
b. Always clean your finger with alcohol after picking it during a blood test.
c. Use mortar and pistil when matching palm kernel for cooking.

Treatment

Use antibiotics when it is still mild. Surgery when it has formed pus to drain it out. Lidocaine is used to numb the finger for this surgery.
Another option is heat therapy such as dipping the finger in a hot plate of eba or in warm water with salt.

Paronychia

This starts with an acute, very sudden pain with swelling. This feels warmth and redness, which can affect both the toe and finger. It is caused by a bacterium named Staphylococcus spp or streptococcus spp. Fungi, which, when it occurs can lead to a chronic tenderness, and redness, which is gradual.

Diagnosis

a. Redness and swelling next to the fingernail.
b. Pus under the nail skin which is painful and tender to touch.
Prevention and treatment are exactly as for felon.

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Whitlow

It is very painful and a highly contagious infection of the finger and toe. It affects the flesh at the end of the finger close to the nail of either finger or toe.

Types Of Whitlow Infections

There are two types of Whitlow infections, which are:

i. Herpetic whitlow 1 and 2 which is caused by the virus herpes simplex virus 1 or 2 and
ii. Melanotic whitlow which is caused by a bacteria

Diagnosis

1. painful swells below finger nails
2. Blister with fluids
3. Red around the finger
4. Itching feeling
5. Tingling
6. Fever

Risk Factors

1. Cuts or wounds around the finger close to the nail.
2. Diabetic patients
3. Weak Immune system
4. Workers in dentist departments, nurses, and dishwashers that exposed their hands to constant water.

Prevention

1. Avoid popping blister
2. Improve your immune system
3. Hand glove
4. Personal hygiene
5. Avoid aggressive manicure and pedicure
6. Avoid biting fingers
7. Avoid picking hand nails

Treatment (painkiller)

1. Dip finger in warm salt water every day for some minutes (relieves pain)
2. Proper cleaning and bandage
3. Antiviral medication
4. Antibiotic when it is complicated with it. This is because most whitlows are herpetic whitlow and bacteria can only complicate the condition. That is melanotic whitlow alone is rare.

Whitlow heals without treatment within a space of a month. The benefits of the medications are to:

1. Reduce time to heal.
2. Reduce risk for secondary infection.
3. Reduce risk of herpes simplex virus from spreading.

Home Remedies

1. Lemon: Using the affected finger, puncture a hole into the lemon fruit and allow the affected area of the finger to rest inside the lemon. Leave for like 30 minutes three times every day (this actually worked for me)

2. Heat therapy: Just like for felon (also did work for me too)

3. Ice pack: Place the hands in a bag of ice block. Have not tried it but it is supposed to work theoretically.

4. Magnesium sulphate: Clean the affected finger with a cotton wool soak in alcohol, apply the magnesium sulphate, and bandage with cotton wool.

Note that there are countless other remedies, which can be found elsewhere and may be just as effective as these ones.

Cellulitis Staphylococcus And Streptococcus

This condition affects only the superficial tissue of the fingers. This produced warmness and redness, which does not produce pain unless the finger is folded.
To treat it, oral antibiotics is used and when it is a severe intravenous injection of antibiotic is used.

Infectious Flexor Tenosynovitis

It is caused by a bacterial. This affects the flexor tendon at the finger thereby making folding the finger difficult. The finger feels tender on the palm side with uniform swelling. The finger becomes slightly bent which produce some pains in an attempt to straighten it.
Treatment involves the use of intravenous antibiotic after a successful surgery. This is followed by and an oral antibiotic.

Deep Space Infection

This one is also caused by a bacterium. This affects the tendons, blood vessels, and muscles. There is a pain in between the fingers. It feels red and warms when pus develops in between the finger as which makes the two fingers to separate.

Treatment involves oral antibiotic when mild but intravenous antibiotic and surgery are needed for severe cases.

General maintenance after surgery includes antibiotic therapy with wound care.

From this, treatment of finger infections should not be with the use of just antibiotics and pain killers. A proper diagnosis is needed to ascertain the microbe responsible before treatment. I have experience when painkillers and antibiotic were given to a patient for weeks by different health care practitioner even when it was not working. The end result was surgery.

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