Sporotrichosis Research Articles

BackgroundThe evaluation of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and sporotrichosis (SP) with dermoscopy may improve the diagnosis accuracy and clinical monitoring. ObjectivesTo describe the dermoscopic findings and patterns of skin lesions of patients with CL and SP followed up at the Laboratory of Clinical Research and Surveillance in Leishmaniasis (LaPClinVigiLeish), Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases (INI), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. MethodsThe authors included patients with a diagnosis of CL or SP, who attended at INI/ Fiocruz, between 2019‒2021. All patients had 3 dermoscopic examinations (DermLite DL4): before treatment (T0), during treatment (T1), and after healing (T2). Up to three lesions per patient were evaluated. ResultsThe authors studied 47 patients with CL (74 lesions), and 19 patients with SP (24 lesions). The authors described dermoscopic structures such as rosettes, white lines, white dots, brown focal structureless areas, brown lines and dots, white perilesional circles, perilesional hyperchromic circles, microulcerations and the rainbow patterns. The authors created specific patterns; in CL: CL-T0 “central yellow scales with a white perilesional circle pattern”, CL-T1 “diffuse structureless white area pattern” and CL-T2 “white and brown focal structureless areas pattern”. In SP: SP-T0 the “pustule with erythema pattern”; SP-T1 the “focal structureless white areas with erythema pattern” and SP-T2 the “white linear pattern”. Study limitationsThis study does not correlate dermoscopic findings with time of disease evolution at the first medical examination. ConclusionsThe recognition of CL and SP dermoscopy patterns may be helpful tool for the differential diagnosis and monitoring of disease evolution.

Sporotrichosis in Brazil: Animals + humans = one health


 
 
 
 A esporotricose é a micose subcutânea mais comum na América Latina, causada pelo Sporothrix schenkii. A maioria dos casos envolve o acometimento cutâneo e linfático sendo rara a disseminação para outros órgãos e sistemas, manifestações mais frequentes em imunodeprimidos. A forma cutâneo-linfática é a mais comum, inicia-se com pápulas que evoluem para úlceras ao longo do trajeto linfático até à cadeia ganglionar regional. O acometimento mucoso é incomum e sua apresentação típica é a conjuntivite granulomatosa associada a linfadenopatia regional. Pode estar associada à profissão, nomeadamente em pessoas que lidam com terra, principalmente em áreas rurais, ou com animais como gatos (domésticos e selvagens) e tatus. Atualmente surtos urbanos tem sido associados à arranhadura e/ou mordedura de gatos infectados.
 Relatamos o caso de uma paciente imunocompetente, diagnosticada com esporotricose cutânea disseminada associada a lesão ocular, tendo o gato doméstico como fonte de infecção.
 
 
 

Esporotricosis cutánea diseminada

Objective To obtain the full-length sequence of the vacuolar protein sorting 34 coding gene (vps34) of Sporothrix globosa (S.globosa) and to investigate the role of vps34 gene during the phase transition from mycelium to yeast in S. globosa. Methods The 3′ end and 5′ end of the vps34 gene of S. globosa were amplified by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The obtained sequences were spliced and analyzed by bioinformatics software. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to analyze the expression of vps34 gene in mycelial and yeast phases. Results The vps34 gene of S. globosa was 3 228 bp in length. The coding sequence was 3 000 bp and encoded 999 amino acids with a molecular mass of 111.49×103 and an isoelectric point of 6.38. It contained three domains including C2_PI3K_class_Ⅲ, PI3Ka_Ⅲ and PI3Kc_Ⅲ. The results of qRT-PCR showed that the expression of vps34 gene in yeast-phase S. globosa was higher than that in mycelial phase at 24 h (P<0.05), and the greatest difference between them was observed at 48 h (P<0.01). Conclusions Vps34p participates in the process of dimorphic transformation of S. globosa. The obtainment of the full-length vps34 gene of S. globosa lays the foundations for further study on the function of Vps34p. Key words: Sporothrix globosa; Sporotrichosis; Vacuolar protein sorting 34; Rapid amplification of cDNA ends; Quantitative reverse transcription PCR; Dimorphic transformation

Objective: Isolated case reports describing the utility of Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) in the diagnosis of Lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis are available in the literature. Since Himachal Pradesh in India is a known endemic area for cutaneous sporotrichosis, this study was conducted to assess the utility of FNAC in the detection of fungal spores for the diagnosis of lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis. Methods: FNAC and biopsy were performed from the nodules and indurated ulcers of fifty clinically diagnosed cases of lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis. Smears were reviewed for cytomorphological findings and were correlated with the histopathological findings. Positive cases were further subjected to culture for confirmation. Results: In our study, the sensitivity and specificity of FNAC in diagnosing lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis were 35% and 100% respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of biopsy in diagnosing lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis were 10% and 100% respectively. All seven cases diagnosed on FNAC were confirmed on fungal culture. Conclusions: FNAC is an effective, useful and a minimally invasive procedure. FNAC is comparatively better than biopsy in detection of fungal spores in the diagnosis of lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis. With an experienced cytologist, it can be used routinely for the diagnosis for lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis.

A 54-year-old female farmer presented with a pea-sized red nodule on the left upper limb near the wrist for 15 days, which occurred after trauma, gradually became swollen and ruptured, and developed into multiple nodules arranged in a chain in 30 days. Skin examination revealed multiple hard purple-red nodules arranged in a line on her left upper limb, some of which were ruptured with a small amount of purulent exudate. Histopathological examination further revealed that the focus of infection manifested as pyogenic granuloma-like inflammation mainly infiltrated with mixed inflammatory cells. Periodic acid Schiff (PAS) staining showed no fungal structures, including fungal spores, hyphae and asteroid body. The biopsy tissue culture yielded the fungus. According to the morphological analysis of the cultures and results of molecular identification based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and calmodulin (CAL) coding regions, this case was finally diagnosed as lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis caused by Sporothrix schenckii sensu stricto. The patient was treated with oral potassium iodide 10% solution in a dose of 10 ml thrice a day. After 2-month treatment, the patient felt that the lesions were obviously improved, but afterwards she was lost to follow-up. This research report suggests that phenotypic analysis combined with ITS/CAL-based molecular identification can accurately identify Sporothrix schenckii complex at the species level. Key words: Sporotrichosis; Sporothrix; Phenotype; Sequence alignment; Sporothrix schenckii sensu stricto

Animal inflicted wounds, left untreated may result in chronic bacterial or fungal infection. Clinical features of these infections may overlap leading to a delay in diagnosis and treatment. We report a case of chronic non-healing cat bite wound treated with several antibiotics without improvement. Later patient developed the classical "sporotrichoid spread" and a presumptive diagnosis of sporotrichosis was made. Laboratory investigation for fungal culture and skin biopsy failed to identify the underlying pathogen. A trial of oral antifungal agent resulted in complete recovery of the lesions implicating fungus as the causative pathogen. Physicians should have a high index of suspicion for fungal infections when managing animal inflicted wounds.

Chromoblastomycosis and sporotrichosis in Madagascar : Epidemiology, molecular diagnostic and perspectives

Sporothrix and sporotrichosis: Contributions from the first international meeting sponsored by the Working Group on Sporothrix and sporotrichosis of the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, October, 2013 Leila M. Lopes-Bezerra1 and Hector M. Mora-Montes2 1Laboratory of Cellular Mycology and Proteomics, Biology Institute, University of Rio de Janeiro State (UERJ), Rio de Janeiro 20550-013, Brazil and 2Departamento de Biologia, Division de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Campus Guanajuato, Universidad de Guanajuato, Noria Alta s/n, col. Noria Alta, C.P. 36050, Guanajuato, Gto., Mexico.

Objective To evaluate the roles of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2),TLR4 and myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) in immune recognition and immune mediation in sporotrichosis by detecting their expressions in skin lesions of sporotrichosis.Methods Biopsy specimens were obtained from the skin lesions of 19 patients with sporotrichosis and normal skin of 12 healthy human controls.Immunohistochemistry was performed to observe the expressions of TLR4 and MyD88,and real-time fluorescence-based quantitative PCR to quantify the expressions of TLR2 and MyD88 mRNAs.Data were expressed as mean ± standard error.Statistical analysis was done with the SPSS17.0 software.Independent samples t-test was conducted to compare the parameters between the lesional and control specimens.A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.Results TLR4 and MyD88 were mainly observed in the whole epidermis except the stratum corneum as well as plasma cells and lymphocytes in the dermis and subcutaneous tissue in lesional skin.However,TLR4 was nearly absent and MyD88 was weakly expressed in the dermis and subcutaneous tissue in normal skin.The expression levels of TLR4 and MyD88 were significantly higher in the lesional skin than in the control skin (TLR4,63.767 ± 3.829 vs.5.167 ± 3.246,t =4.82,P ＜ 0.05; MyD88,57.236 ± 4.744 vs.10.588 ± 1.640,t =3.30,P ＜ 0.05).Similarly,the lesional skin showed significantly stronger expressions of TLR2 and MyD88 mRNAs compared with the normal skin (TLR2,1.974 ± 1.452 vs.1.430 ± 1.073,P ＜ 0.05; MyD88,2.028 ± 2.061 vs.0.688 ± 0.422,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Sporothrix may induce the development of sporotrichosis by interacting with host immune system via TLR signaling pathways. Key words: Sporotrichosis; Toll-like receptor 2; Toll-like receptor 4; Myeloid differentiation factor 88

International Journal of DermatologyVolume 53, Issue 5 p. e324-e325 Correspondence Sweet's syndrome-like sporotrichosis Yaqin Zhang MD, PhD, Yaqin Zhang MD, PhD Yaqingang@aol.com Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorVenkatesh Pyla MBBS, Venkatesh Pyla MBBS Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, ChinaSearch for more papers by this author Yaqin Zhang MD, PhD, Yaqin Zhang MD, PhD Yaqingang@aol.com Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorVenkatesh Pyla MBBS, Venkatesh Pyla MBBS Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, ChinaSearch for more papers by this author First published: 30 December 2013 https://doi.org/10.1111/ijd.12424Citations: 5Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume53, Issue5May 2014Pages e324-e325 RelatedInformation

International Journal of DermatologyVolume 53, Issue 4 p. e311-e312 Correspondence Cancer-like lesions in a patient with sporotrichosis Yaqin Zhang MD, PhD, Yaqin Zhang MD, PhD Yaqingang@aol.com Department of Dermatology and Venereology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorVenkatesh Pyla MBBS, Venkatesh Pyla MBBS Department of Dermatology and Venereology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, ChinaSearch for more papers by this author Yaqin Zhang MD, PhD, Yaqin Zhang MD, PhD Yaqingang@aol.com Department of Dermatology and Venereology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorVenkatesh Pyla MBBS, Venkatesh Pyla MBBS Department of Dermatology and Venereology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, ChinaSearch for more papers by this author First published: 21 November 2013 https://doi.org/10.1111/ijd.12151Citations: 2 Funding: Supported by Jilin Provincial Science & Technology Department (No.20110738) Conflict of interest: There are none Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume53, Issue4April 2014Pages e311-e312 RelatedInformation

Objective To analyze clinical characteristics of facial sporotrichosis.Methods A retrospective study was carried out on 186 cases of facial sporotrichosis diagnosed from 2010 to 2011.Results Among these patients,the male to female ratio was 1 ∶ 1.16,with an average age of 41.3 years and clinical course of 8.2 months.Peasants accounted for 68.82％ of these patients.A clear history of trauma was reported by 34.41％ of these patients.Fixed sporotrichosis was the most common form,accounting for 70.97％ of these cases.The treatment of sporotrichosis included oral potassium iodide (10％) solution,itraconazole or terbinafine.All the patients were cured after three months of treatment,with scar formation in 22.04％ (41/186) of these patients.Conclusions Sporotrichosis appears to be common in Jilin province.The clinical findings from these cases are in agreement with previous reports.Clinicians should try to avoid misdiagnosis and mistreatment of sporotrichosis with atypical presentations. Key words: Sporotrichosis; Face; Retrospective studies

Cutaneous Disseminated Sporotrichosis Complicated by Osteomyelitis

Pregnancy during a sporotrichosis epidemic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Objective To summarize and analyze the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of 585 cases of cutaneous sporotrichosis collected in Jilin province in the last 3 years. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on sporotrichosis cases diagnosed at the Department of Dermatology in the hospital from 2007 to 2009. Results Totally, 585 cases were included in this study. Among these patients, the male/female ratio was 1:1.35 with an average age of 40.5 years and average duration of symptoms of 6.78 months.The age at onset was mainly between 51 and 60 years (22.05%). Sporotrichosis seemed more frequently to occur in winter and spring. The majority (94.19%) of the patients were rural habitants, and 149 (25.47%) patients recalled history of trauma. Fixed form was the most common clinical presentation (56.58%), followed by lymphocutaneous form (39.66%), cutaneous disseminated form ( 1.88% ) and undefined form ( 1.88% ). The predilection sites of sporotrichosis were extremities (50.94%) and face (43.76%). The treatment of sporotrichosis included a 10% solution of potassium iodide, itraconazole and terbinafine alone or in combination. Two hundred and fifty patients were lost to follow up. Of the remaining 335 patients, 289 were cured with an average treatment duration of 2.09 months, 46 were still under follow-up or treatment. Conclusions The case load of sporotrichosis in Jilin province has remained high in recent years. The clinical and epidemic features of sporotrichosis cases in this report are similar to those in previous reports, but the proportion of middle-aged patients and atypical cases increases. Potassium iodide solution, itraconazole and terbinafine are effective and safe for the treatment of sporotrichosis. Key words: Sporotrichosis; Sporothrix; Clinical analysis

This work was based on the analysis of digital images of histochemical profile from subcutaneous lesions in sporotrichosis (ST) and chromoblastomycosis (CM) patients. An additional aim was the detection of carbohydrate expression using lectin histochemical analysis of the different carbohydrates in the fungal cell wall from four different species (Sporothrix schenckii, Fonsecaea pedrosoi, Phialophora verrucosa, and Cladophialophora carrionii) associated with diseases mentioned earlier. Slides from tissue biopsies from ST and CM positive patients (n=10, each) were stained according to routine techniques. Slides were incubated with 25 μg/ml of Con A lectins and WGA conjugated to peroxidase. Digital image analysis was carried out in a workstation using OPTIMAS™ software system. Routine histochemistry results indicated that there is significantly higher collagen deposition and elastic fibers in ST characteristic lesions compared with that found in CM cases. The ST interstitial fibrosis area was larger than in CM lesions. Comparative lectin binding showed a positive and intense lectin staining pattern in the cell wall of S. schenckii, suggesting a higher expression of glucose/mannose and N-acetyl glucosamine in their cell surface as evidenced by Con A and WGA, respectively. However, these lectins were not effective to recognize some carbohydrates moieties in the F. pedrosoi, P. verrucosa, and C. carrionii. Such findings contribute to additional information about specific recognition processes between fungal parasites and their host cell targets may be mediated by the interaction of carbohydrate-binding proteins, such as lectins, on the surface of one type of cell that combine with complementary sugars on the surface of another cells into fibro-connective tissues associated with lesions.

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) in patient with disseminated cutaneous sporotrichosis: A peculiar image

A Case of Fixed Type of Sporotrichosis on the Skin of the Hand Dosal