Cat-transmitted sporotrichosis epidemic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: description of a series of cases.
Sporotrichosis is the most common subcutaneous mycosis in South America. Classic infection is associated with traumatic inoculation of soil, vegetables, and organic matter contaminated with Sporothrix schenckii. Zoonotic transmission has been described in isolated cases or in small outbreaks. Since 1998, we have been observing an increasing number of cases of sporotrichosis in persons from the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and surroundings. From 1998 to 2001, 178 cases of culture-proven sporotrichosis had been diagnosed. Female patients predominated, and the median age was 39 years. The most frequent clinical presentation was lymphocutaneous disease. Of the 178 patients, 156 reported domiciliary or professional contact with cats with sporotrichosis, and 97 of these patients had a history of receipt of cat scratch or bite. The patients received itraconazole as first-line treatment. This study suggests that feline transmission of sporotrichosis was associated with a large and long-lasting outbreak of the disease in Rio de Janeiro.
Barros
Monica Bastos de Lima
MB
Servico de Infectologia, Instituto de Pesquisa Clinica Evandro Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. monica@ipec.fiocruz.br
Schubach
Armando de Oliveira
Ade O
do Valle
Antônio Carlos Francesconi
AC
Gutierrez Galhardo
Maria Clara
MC
Conceição-Silva
Fátima
F
Schubach
Tânia Maria Pacheco
TM
Reis
Rosani Santos
RS
Wanke
Bodo
B
Marzochi
Keyla Belizia Feldman
KB
Conceição
Maria José
MJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002415:Cats / Q000382:microbiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008828:Microbiological Techniques; D008875:Middle Aged; D013175:Sporothrix / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013174:Sporotrichosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000635:transmission; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission