A whitlow or felon is an

infection An infection is the invasion of tissue (biology), tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host (biology), host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmis ...

of the tip of the

finger A finger is a prominent digit (anatomy), digit on the forelimbs of most tetrapod vertebrate animals, especially those with prehensile extremities (i.e. hands) such as humans and other primates. Most tetrapods have five digits (dactyly, pentadact ...

Herpetic whitlow A herpetic whitlow is a herpes lesion ( whitlow), typically on a finger or thumb, caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). Occasionally infection occurs on the toes or on the nail cuticle. Herpes whitlow can be caused by infection by HSV-1 or HS ...

and melanotic whitlow (subungual melanoma) are subtypes that are not synonymous with the term ''felon''. A felon is an "extremely painful abscess on the palmar aspect of the fingertip".Dorland's Medical Dictionary: 29th Edition. Whitlow usually refers to herpetic whitlow, though it can also refer to melanotic whitlow (subungual melanoma), which somewhat resembles acral lentiginous melanoma. The terms ''whitlow'' and ''felon'' are also sometimes misapplied to

paronychia Paronychia is an inflammation of the skin around the nail, often due to bacteria or fungi. Its sudden (acute) occurrence is usually due to the bacterium ''Staphylococcus aureus''. Gradual (chronic) occurrences are typically caused by fungi ...

, which is an infection of the tissue at the side or base of the

nail Nail or Nails may refer to: In biology * Nail (anatomy), toughened protective protein-keratin (known as alpha-keratin, also found in hair) at the end of an animal or human digit, such as fingernail * Nail (beak), a plate of hard horny tissue a ...

. Felon presents with a throbbing pain, clinically.

Notes

References

Occupational diseases Conditions of the skin appendages {{Cutaneous-infection-stub