'Rain rot' STD usually seen in horses spreads through holiday hotspots

A gruesome skin disease, mostly common in livestock, has reportedly transferred to human beings.

Nicknamed 'rain rot', health experts say the condition has been reported by a handful of holidaymakers who admitted to spending time in one of several top European holiday hotspots.

Several men have come forward across Lyon, France, and Barcelona, Spain, between December and March of this year with complaints over itchy, pus-filled spots which broke out on their faces and genitals.

The group, made up entirely of LGBTQ+ men, were diagnosed with a bacterial skin infection that is technically referred to as dermatophilosis, which most commonly affects horses, sheep and cows.

The condition has been reported in LGBTQ+ men (CDC)

Its meteorological nickname comes from the fact that, in the majority of these cases, these animals reside in tropical regions.

The recent emergence doesn't mark the first instance that dermatophilosis has been reported by humans, although past occurrences have been extremely rare, and have always been cases whereby patients have made contact with diseased animals.

In livestock, dermatophilosis usually appears mildly in the form of pustules and lesions. Only in certain cases does it progress to more severe disease.

In all new human cases, however, patients insisted they hadn't spent time in areas prevalent with infected livestock before showing symptoms.

They also claimed not to have visited especially warm climates.

Most new patients claimed they first endured a painful rash made up of spots that later crusted over after engaging in sexual intercourse with other men.

A number admitted to visiting 'venues for sexual encounters within the week preceding symptom onset', including sauna facilities.

As such, doctors now believe the condition has been spread via sexual contact.

The disease most commonly causes a rash (CDC)

As documented in a new Emerging Infectious Diseases report, the fact that this disease infamously flourishes in humid conditions could explain why transmission in these holiday attractions might be higher.

In the majority of cases so far, antibiotics have been efficient in clearing up the rash caused by dermatophilosis.

25 have been recorded so far in Lyon and across nearby areas, including Paris, Bordeaux, Saint-Étienne and Annecy, while nine were recorded in Barcelona, and one each in Turkey and Italy.

Addressing the risk that saunas are posing with regards to the spreading of the condition, Demetre Daskalakis of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emphasised: "It’s a good time for these saunas to make sure that they’re doing a lot of cleaning.

"But I think it also speaks to men who are attending these venues. I think it’s [about] making sure that they’re doing all the stuff that they need for hygiene and making sure they shower after encounters, etc."