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Several men diagnosed with rare infection after frequenting the same gay bathhouse
queerty.com • • health
Key Points:
- The CDC reported a rare outbreak of dermatophilus, a skin infection caused by Dermatophilus congolensis, among men in France who do not have contact with livestock or live in rural areas.
- All nine men affected are men who have sex with men (MSM) and sought treatment at an STI clinic in Lyon, with symptoms mainly in areas exposed during sexual contact.
- Seven of the men had visited the same local gay bathhouse, suggesting a possible transmission link through shared exposure networks, despite no direct sexual contact being confirmed.
- The CDC highlights that evolving sexual practices, especially in the era of PrEP, may contribute to the emergence of new transmissible skin infections and advises clinicians to consider dermatophilus in differential diagnoses.
- Although dermatophilus is typically animal-associated and treatable with antibiotics, this outbreak raises questions about potential human-to-human transmission routes previously unrecorded.
