yaws

Contagious tropical disease common in the West Indies, West Africa, and some Pacific islands, characterized by red, raspberrylike eruptions on the face, toes, and other parts of the body, sometimes followed by lesions of the bones; these may progress to cause gross disfigurement. It is caused by a spirochete (Treponema pertenue), a bacterium related to the one that causes syphilis. Treatment is by antibiotics.