{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,27]],"date-time":"2025-04-27T10:10:03Z","timestamp":1745748603280,"version":"3.40.4"},"reference-count":11,"publisher":"BMJ","content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Case Reports"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2018,1,25]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Skin abscesses are commonly seen by primary care physicians in the outpatient setting. The majority of these soft tissue infections arise from penetration wounds by inanimate objects, but rarely, a living organism may present as a contributing factor. We present a case of an 11-year-old boy with an unusual skin abscess containing a chequered periwinkle marine snail (<jats:italic>Littorina scutulata<\/jats:italic>). The unique characteristics of this intertidal mollusk appear to have enabled it to survive in the subcutaneous tissue for a week, despite the hostile environment of a skin abscess. This case emphasises adherence to current professional guidelines that recommend incision and drainage of suspected skin abscesses and encourages clinicians to take a careful history of present illness which may aid in identification of subsequent cases of marine snails, or other living organisms, residing in skin abscesses.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1136\/bcr-2017-222626","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2018,2,7]],"date-time":"2018-02-07T08:55:09Z","timestamp":1517993709000},"page":"bcr-2017-222626","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["An intertidal mollusk found in a boy\u2019s skin abscess"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"2018","author":[{"given":"Stephen Wesley","family":"Line","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Albert","family":"Khait","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2018,2,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025042702470834000_2018.feb06_2.bcr-2017-222626.1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-015-1071-0"},{"key":"2025042702470834000_2018.feb06_2.bcr-2017-222626.2","first-page":"119","article-title":"Common bacterial skin infections","volume":"66","author":"Stulberg","year":"2002","journal-title":"Am Fam Physician"},{"key":"2025042702470834000_2018.feb06_2.bcr-2017-222626.3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"159","DOI":"10.18773\/austprescr.2016.058","article-title":"Bacterial skin and soft tissue infections","volume":"39","author":"Sukumaran","year":"2016","journal-title":"Aust Prescr"},{"key":"2025042702470834000_2018.feb06_2.bcr-2017-222626.4","unstructured":"Payne E . CNN. Sea snail hatches, grows inside California boy\u2019s knee [Internet]. 2013 http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/08\/19\/health\/ snail-in-knee\/index.html (Cited 25 Jun 2017)."},{"key":"2025042702470834000_2018.feb06_2.bcr-2017-222626.5","unstructured":"Cowles D . Littorina scutulata [Internet]. 2004 https:\/\/inverts.wallawalla.edu\/Mollusca\/Gastropoda\/Prosobranchia \/Order_Mesogastropoda\/Suborder_Taenioglossa\/Family_Littorinidae\/Littorina_scutulata.html (Cited 16 Jun 2017)."},{"key":"2025042702470834000_2018.feb06_2.bcr-2017-222626.6","unstructured":"Proudfoot B , Fretwell K . Checkered periwinkle littorina scutulata. Biodiversity of the central coast. 2015 http:\/\/www.centralcoastbio diversity.org\/checkered-periwinkle-bull-littorina-scutulata.html (Cited 16Jun 2017)."},{"key":"2025042702470834000_2018.feb06_2.bcr-2017-222626.7","unstructured":"University of Puget Sound, Slater Museum of Natural History. Checkered periwinkle (Littorina scutulata). https:\/\/www.pugetsound.edu\/ academics\/academic-resources\/slater-museum\/exhibits\/marine-panel\/checkered-periwinkle\/ (Cited 16 Jun 2017)."},{"key":"2025042702470834000_2018.feb06_2.bcr-2017-222626.8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"721","DOI":"10.1017\/S0025315400053844","article-title":"The biology of littorina littorea. Part I. Growth of the shell and tissues, spawning, length of life and mortality","volume":"21","author":"Moore","year":"1937","journal-title":"J Mar Biol Assoc U.K."},{"key":"2025042702470834000_2018.feb06_2.bcr-2017-222626.9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/cid\/ciu296"},{"key":"2025042702470834000_2018.feb06_2.bcr-2017-222626.10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"26","DOI":"10.13107\/jocr.2250-0685.111","article-title":"Neglected foreign body, the cause of navicular osteomyelitis in a paediatric foot: a case report","volume":"3","author":"Chandrashekara","year":"2013","journal-title":"J Orthop Case Rep"},{"key":"2025042702470834000_2018.feb06_2.bcr-2017-222626.11","first-page":"202","article-title":"Ultrasound for the evaluation of skin and soft tissue infections","volume":"112","author":"O\u2019Rourke","year":"2015","journal-title":"Mo Med"}],"container-title":["BMJ Case Reports"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.1136\/bcr-2017-222626","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,27]],"date-time":"2025-04-27T09:47:21Z","timestamp":1745747241000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/casereports.bmj.com\/lookup\/doi\/10.1136\/bcr-2017-222626"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2018,2,7]]},"references-count":11,"alternative-id":["10.1136\/bcr-2017-222626"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/bcr-2017-222626","relation":{},"ISSN":["1757-790X"],"issn-type":[{"type":"electronic","value":"1757-790X"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2018,2,7]]}}}