Pediatric herpetic hand infections.

Fourteen cases of pediatric herpetic hand infection were admitted over a 15-year period. Five cases were documented by viral culture, four by Tzanck smear; the remainder were diagnosed on clinical grounds. The natural history of herpetic hand infections is similar in adult and pediatric populations. Adult infections are most frequently found in medical and dental personnel; pediatric infections are most common in children between 5 months and 6 years of age. Whereas adult infections are usually the result of exogenous occupational or sexual exposure, 11 (80%) of 14 pediatric cases exhibited coexistent oral lesions. Treatment in all cases is nonsurgical; resolution is complete within 3 to 4 weeks. Antibiotics are indicated only in the advent of bacterial superinfection.