in 1900, the physician Clement Dukes assigned a number for the known exanthems affecting the pediatric age group which are first disease (measles),second disease (scarlet fever), thrid disease (rubella) and fourth disease (filatove-dukes).9 In 1905, the Russian-French physician Léon Cheinisse added fifth disease which is now known as erythema infectiosum or slapped check syndrome.101112 In 1909, sixth disease (roselola infantum or exanthem subitum) was introduced by John Zahorsky.13
Of these six "classical" infectious childhood exanthems,14 four are viral. Numbers were provided in 1905.15
The four viral exanthems have much in common, and are often studied together as a class. They are:
Scarlet fever, or "second disease", is associated with the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes. Fourth disease, also known as "Dukes' disease" is a condition whose existence is not widely accepted today. It was described in 1900 and is postulated to be related to the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus.19
In 1979 and 2001 a possible "seventh disease" was postulated following reports of a condition in Japan also referred to as acute febrile infantile mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome (MCLS).20
Many other common viruses apart from the ones mentioned above can also produce an exanthem as part of their presentation, though they are not considered part of the classic numbered list:
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