Epidemic sporotrichosis.
OBJECTIVE
Epidemic sporotrichosis is rare and has been related to an environmental source of infection. There were no reports of epizootics before a cat-transmitted epidemic was reported in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In the present paper we review the data published on this epidemic.


RESULTS
From 1998 to 2004, 759 humans, 64 dogs and 1503 cats were diagnosed with sporotrichosis in the Evandro Chagas Clinical Research Institute. Of them, 85% of dogs and 83.4% of patients were reported to have had contact with cats with sporotrichosis, and 55.8% of the latter reported cat bites or scratches. Unusual manifestations were diagnosed in humans. Canine sporotrichosis presented as a self-limited mycosis. Feline sporotrichosis varied from subclinical infection to severe systemic disease with hematogenous dissemination of Sporothrix schenckii. Sporotrichosis in cats always preceded its occurrence among their owners and their domiciliary canine contacts. The zoonotic potential of cats was demonstrated by the isolation of S. schenckii from skin lesion fragments, and from material collected from their nasal and oral cavities.


CONCLUSIONS
Thus far it is not known why sporotrichosis takes on the proportion of an emergent zoonosis in Rio de Janeiro. We alert physicians and veterinarians working outside the epidemic area to the diagnostic challenges involved with sporotrichosis.
Schubach
Armando
A
Serviço de Infectologia, Brasil bLaboratório de Micologia Médica, Instituto de Pesquisa Clínica Evandro Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. armando.schubach@ipec.fiocruz.br
Barros
Mônica Bastos de Lima
MB
Wanke
Bodo
B
D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission*; D002415:Cats; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission*; D004285:Dogs; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D017964:Itraconazole / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013175:Sporothrix / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D013174:Sporotrichosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D014774:Virulence; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission
D000935:Antifungal Agents; D017964:Itraconazole