Journal of Pathology and Translational Medicine

Case Report

Granulomatous Inflammation of Hand following Sea Urchin Sting: 2 cases report.: Jung Ran Kim, Dong Hoon Kim, Tae Jung Jang, Jong Im Lee, Hyun Sul Lim, Hyeon Kyeong Lee, Sung Han Bae; Korean J Pathol. 1998;32(1):68-71.

Abstract PDF: Injuries from sea urchins are induced by from penetration of the calcareous spines into the skin. Apart from the transient episode of excruciating pain, there is usually no residual disability. Complications arise, however, when spines are embedded over bony prominences, or within joints. Two cases are reported with injury and protracted disability of fingers resulting from contact with the purple sea urchin, Anthocidaris crassispina, a common echinoderm inhabitant of the Korean east coast. After a latent period of several months in both cases, Case 1 presented as caseating granulomas in the synovium and case 2 exhibited as the usual soft tissue nonsynovial foreign body and noncaseating granulomas. There appears to be a paucity of published data regarding the effects of puncture wounds caused by the spines of this animal. The granulomas have appeared after a latent interval of several months in a proportion of the sufferers, suggests a delayed hyperserisitivity reaction similar to that produced by Mycobacterium species.

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