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This fungal disease usually affects the skin, although other rare forms can affect the
lungs, joints, bones, and even the brain. Because roses can spread the disease, it is
one of a few diseases referred to as rose-thorn or rose-gardeners' disease.
Patients with sporotrichosis will have antibody against the fungus S. schenckii,
however, due to variability in sensitivity and specificity, it may not be a reliable
diagnosis for this disease. The confirming diagnosis remains culturing the fungus from
the skin, sputum, synovial fluid, and cerebrospinal fluid.
Cats with sporotrichosis are unique in that the exudate from their lesions may contain
numerous organisms. This makes cytological evaluation of exudate a valuable
diagnostic tool in this species. Exudate is pyogranulomatous and phagocytic cells may
be packed with yeast forms. These are variable in size, but many are cigar-shaped.
There are however different Forms of Sporotrichosis, this would be:
• Pulmonary sporotrichosis
This rare form of the disease occur when S. schenckii spores are inhaled. Symptoms of
pulmonary sporotrichosis include productive coughing, nodules and cavitations of the
lungs, fibrosis, and swollen hilar lymph nodes. Patients with this form of sporotrichosis
are susceptible to developing tuberculosis and pneumonia.
• Disseminated sporotrichosis
When the infection spreads from the primary site to secondary sites in the body, the
disease develops into a rare and critical form called disseminated sporotrichosis. The
infection can spread to joints and bones (called osteoarticular sporotrichosis) as well
as the central nervous system and the brain (called sporotrichosis meningitis).
The symptoms of disseminated sporotrichosis include weight loss, anorexia, and
appearance of bony lesions.
The majority of sporotrichosis cases occur when the fungus is introduced through a cut
or puncture in the skin while handling vegetation containing the fungal spores.
Prevention of this disease includes wearing long sleeves and gloves while working with
soil, hay bales, rose bushes, pine seedlings, and sphagnum moss.
Treatment of sporotrichosis depends on the severity and location of the disease. The
following are latest treatment options for this condition, updated 2007:
New published data show that terbinafine is effective in high doses and thus is now
recommended as a second-line therapy. In contrast to the earlier guidelines, the panel
preferred lipid formulations of amphotericin B over amphotericin B deoxycholate for
treatment of meningeal, disseminated, and severe pulmonary sporotrichosis.
“Most people with sporotrichosis do fine and can be treated by a primary care
physician,” said lead author Carol A. Kauffman, MD, FIDSA, of the University of
Michigan Medical School and the Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Healthcare System.
“However, patients whose infections have reached the bones, joints, lungs, or central
nervous system are exceedingly difficult to treat.”
Although experts may seem to say that it is exceedingly difficult to treat, I believe that
there are no such things as incurables; there are only things for which man has not
found a cure.
Sporotrichosis
(An Article in MicroParasitology)
Submitted To:
Ms. Paz Baculi
Submitted By:
Ana Marie V. Busa
BSN II-C