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Doctors warn of risks of contracting milker’s nodule

Visiting recreational farms has become a popular pastime in Taiwan, with guests enjoying the experience of milking cows. However, doctors yesterday warned of a rare disease called milker’s nodule, which infects people when open wounds come in contact with diseased cows.

Two weeks ago, a 56-year-old meat dealer, surnamed Wu (吳), found a red lesion on her left thumb the size of a NT$1 coin and swollen lymph nodes in her left armpit.

She was diagnosed to be suffering from milker’s nodule, an occupational illness usually affecting workers in the meat-packing industry, said Lee Ding-dar (李定達), a physician at Taipei Veterans General Hospital Dermatology Department.

CUTS

Wu recalled that one week before she discovered the lesion, she had accidentally cut her finger when she was working in her yard. Afterwards, she went to work as usual at the market.

“[Milker’s nodule] is a rare disease characterized by dome-shaped lesions on fingers or forearms that are reddish brown or purple in color,” Lee said. “The lesions usually look like a target, red in the center and white on the outside.”

The occupational disease is caused by coming in contact with cows that are infected with a virus called parapoxvirus. There has been no report of human-to-human infection.

“The lesions will heal in four to six weeks on their own and leave no scar. In the case of bacterial infection, antibiotics are used,” Lee said.

Although no medication is required, “if housewives continue to do housework with scabs on their hands, it can lead to bacterial infections and then cellulitis [infection of deeper parts of the skin] or lymphadenitis [inflamed lymph nodes],” he said.

HIGH RISK

“High-risk groups include people who work in the farming or meat-packing industries, slaughterhouses, as well as veterinarians,” he said.

Lee recommends that people with open wounds wear gloves when processing meat, including housewives who may have small cuts from preparing food, or tourists milking cows at ranch farms.

“When you’re about to touch a cow or sheep, look for lesions or scabs near their mouths to make sure they’re not infected,” he said.
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