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European Journal of Dermatology

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Lipschtz genital ulceration: a rare manifestation of paratyphoid fever Volume 13, issue 3, May 2003

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Authors
Service de Dermatologie 1, Hôpital Saint-Jacques, 2, place Saint-Jacques, 25030 Besançon cedex, France. Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital, Besançon, France

In 1913, a distinctive clinical entity of acute genital ulcer occurring in an adolescent girl with a non-venereal infectious aetiology was described by Lipschtz. Since the initial description, several aetiologies have been discussed, and among them, paratyphoid fever is very uncommon. After her return from a trip, a 25-year-old girl developed high fever and diarrhoea. Examination of the vulva revealed a genital ulcer. The rest of the general examination was normal. Blood cultures identified Salmonella paratyphi A, and a diagnosis of Lipschtz’s ulcer associated with paratyphoid fever was made. Bacteriaemia was then treated with antibiotics and the vulvar ulceration rapidly disappeared. Lipschtz described a distinctive clinical entity of acute genital ulcers occurring in adolescents. To our knowledge, we report herein the second case associated with proved paratyphoid fever. The authors thus recommend that typhoid or paratyphoid fever should be included in the differential diagnosis of genital ulcerations.