contagious pustular dermatitis [L, contingere, to touch, pustula, pustules; Gk, derma, skin, itis, inflammation] , a skin disease normally affecting sheep and goats but transmitted to humans who handle infected animals. It is caused by a pox virus and results in lesions on the hands, and occasionally on the face. The lesions resolve spontaneously, but slowly. Also called ecthyma contagiosum, orf.
