Helen, a 45-year-old farmer's wife with a married daughter, handles sheep every day of her life. She was referred to our consultant dermatologist by her general practitioner with a 3-week history of an orf infection on her left index finger which presented as a white blister with surrounding erythema, together with an herpetic eruption on her face. She had gradually developed a generalized red rash and 3 days previously a bullous eruption was observed which rapidly progressed and was unresponsive to antihistamines given intramuscularly and calamine lotion applied topically.