People at risk

The whitlow is a pathology which mainly concerns manual workers, more likely to have finger injuries.

The people with whitlow no longer need to cook because the staphylococcus present in whitlow can contaminate food and cause acute diarrhea in people who have consumed it. People who work in the food sector (cooks, butchers, pastry chefs, etc.) must therefore stop their activity until recovery.

Risk factors

The risk factors of whitlow are:

• trauma (puncture, excoriation, etc.) of the fingers and nails, even minimal;
• manicure treatments;
• diabetes, because it predisposes to infections;
• alcoholism and drug addiction;
• immune deficiencies, likely to worsen an infection: treatment with cortisone or other immunosuppressants, HIV / AIDS, etc.)