Cutaneous Manifestations of Gonococcemia: A Review of 14 Cases

The specificity of the cutaneous lesions in gonococcemia has received little or no attention in textbooks of dermatology and internal medicine. Moreover, the English medical literature of the past 20 years contains no report dealing with the characteristic hemorrhagic vesiculopustular exanthem in this disease. Therefore, the purpose of this communication is to record the experience with cutaneous gonococcosis at a general charity hospital and to re-emphasize the diagnostic value of this type of eruption, particularly when the primary infection is not clinically evident or demonstrable. Clinical Material The 14 cases of this survey constitute the largest series reported to date of patients with gonococcal skin lesions. The patients were encountered at the Jefferson Davis Hospital during the period extending from January, 1957, to April, 1963. The sole criterion for the selection of cases was the presence of a characteristic cutaneous eruption. The suporting evidence for the diagnosis of gonococcal disease