Orf in humans: dramatic but benign.

Orf is a parapoxvirus infection of sheep and goats that causes blistering lesions on the lips, nostrils, udders or toes of affected animals. Human contact can cause transmission by direct inoculation. Human orf has typically been confined to rural settings. A case is presented of an immigrant African inner-city housewife who contracted the disease after preparing a sheep's head for a meal. The lesions resolved completely after 1 month without treatment. Although relatively rare and benign, this infection is probably under-reported and over-treated in this country. This case highlights the fact that urban physicians can expect to encounter once rare or solely rural-based infections with increasing frequency.