title: Sporothrix brasiliensis outbreaks and the rapid emergence of feline sporotrichosis.
abstract: Sporotrichosis is the main subcutaneous mycosis in Brazil, and is caused by Sporothrix schenckii and allied species. Sporothrix propagules present on soil and plant debris may be traumatically inoculated into the cutaneous/ subcutaneous tissues of the warm-blooded host. An alternative route involves direct animal-animal and animal-human transmissions through deep scratches and bites of diseased cats. Sporotrichosis is much more common than previously appreciated with several cases emerging over the years especially in South and Southeast Brazil. We conducted an epidemiological surveillance in endemic areas of feline sporotrichosis in the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. Over the last 5-year period the number of feline sporotrichosis in Rio Grande increased from 0.75 new cases per month in 2010 to 3.33 cases per month in 2014. The wide geographic distribution of diagnosed cases highlights the dynamics of Sporothrix transmission across urban areas with high population density. Molecular identification down to species level by PCR-RFLP of cat-transmitted Sporothrix revealed the emergence of the clonal offshoot S. brasiliensis during feline outbreaks; this scenario is similar to the epidemics taking place in the metropolitan areas of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Controlling and preventing sporotrichosis outbreaks are essential steps to managing the disease among humans and animals.
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduation program in Health Science, Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil.|Mycology Lab of Medicine Faculty (FAMED)-FURG, Rio Grande, Brazil.
authors.forename: Karine Ortiz
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Sanchotene
authors.affiliation: Zoonosis control, Municipal Health secretary of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Isabel Martins
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Madrid
authors.affiliation: Mycology Lab of Medicine Faculty (FAMED)-FURG, Rio Grande, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gabriel Baracy
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Klafke
authors.affiliation: Mycology Lab of Medicine Faculty (FAMED)-FURG, Rio Grande, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bergamashi
authors.affiliation: Cell Biology Division, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paula Portella
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Della Terra
authors.affiliation: Cell Biology Division, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Anderson Messias
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0891-4563
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: Cell Biology Division, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Zoilo Pires
authors.initials: ZP
authors.lastname: de Camargo
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduation program in Health Science, Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil.|Mycology Lab of Medicine Faculty (FAMED)-FURG, Rio Grande, Brazil.|Interdisciplinary Area of Biomedical Science (FAMED-FURG), Rio Grande, Brazil.
authors.forename: Melissa Orzechowski
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Xavier
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000635:transmission; D002415:Cats; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary*; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D013175:Sporothrix / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013174:Sporotrichosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000453:epidemiology*
keywords: Sporothrix brasiliensis; cats; epidemiology; outbreak; sporotrichosis