Abstract
Sporothrix schenckii, previously assumed to be the sole agent of human and animal sporotrichosis, is in fact a species complex. Recently recognized taxa include S. brasiliensis, S. globosa, S. mexicana, and S. luriei, in addition to S. schenckii sensu stricto. Over the last decades, large epidemics of sporotrichosis occurred in Brazil due to zoonotic transmission, and cats were pointed out as key susceptible hosts. In order to understand the eco-epidemiology of feline sporotrichosis and its role in human sporotrichosis a survey was conducted among symptomatic cats. Prevalence and phylogenetic relationships among feline Sporothrix species were investigated by reconstructing their phylogenetic origin using the calmodulin (CAL) and the translation elongation factor-1 alpha (EF1α) loci in strains originated from Rio de Janeiro (RJ, n = 15), Rio Grande do Sul (RS, n = 10), Paraná (PR, n = 4), São Paulo (SP, n = 3) and Minas Gerais (MG, n = 1). Our results showed that S. brasiliensis is highly prevalent among cats (96.9%) with sporotrichosis, while S. schenckii was identified only once. The genotype of Sporothrix from cats was found identical to S. brasiliensis from human sources confirming that the disease is transmitted by cats. Sporothrix brasiliensis presented low genetic diversity compared to its sister taxon S. schenckii. No evidence of recombination in S. brasiliensis was found by split decomposition or PHI-test analysis, suggesting that S. brasiliensis is a clonal species. Strains recovered in states SP, MG and PR share the genotype of the RJ outbreak, different from the RS clone. The occurrence of separate genotypes among strains indicated that the Brazilian S. brasiliensis epidemic has at least two distinct sources. We suggest that cats represent a major host and the main source of cat and human S. brasiliensis infections in Brazil.
Highlights
Mycotic diseases, those caused by dimorphic fungi such as Sporothrix, can be considered as an emerging threat to various species of animals
In order to understand the impact of felines on the epidemiology of sporotrichosis, we evaluated the phenotypic and genotypic features of isolates obtained from animals and humans living in outbreak areas
Sporotrichosis is caused by a complex of species, in this study we observed that S. brasiliensis is the prevalent etiological agent of feline sporotrichosis, having been recovered from 96.9% of the samples
Summary
Those caused by dimorphic fungi such as Sporothrix, can be considered as an emerging threat to various species of animals. Upon introduction of propagules into the mammalian host, the fungus undergoes a thermodimorphic transition to a yeast-like phase, leading to infections varying between fixed localized cutaneous lesions to severe, disseminated sporotrichosis. The cat is the animal species most affected by this mycosis [2]. Over the last two decades, Brazil has experienced its largest epidemic of sporotrichosis due to zoonotic transmission, whereby cats were pointed out as key susceptible host. The zoonotic potential of infected cats has been demonstrated by the isolation of S. schenckii s.l. from feline skin lesions, nasal, oral cavities, and claw fragments [3,4]
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