Erysipeloid eye infection, showing a close-up of oedema (swelling) around a young man's left eye. Erysipeloid (erythema serpens) is an infection of the skin & underlying tissues caused by the bacterium Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae. It most commonly occurs in persons handling fish, meat or poultry. The bacteria enter the skin through cuts in the skin of the hand. Systemic illness may develop. Erysiphelothrix is a genus of Gram- positive, non-motile, rod-shaped bacteria that tends to form filaments. E. rhusiopathiae causes the disease erysipelas in pigs, which is transmissible to humans.