My name is Desmond
Osatuyi, I am a graduate student at Western Illinois University presently
working with Dr Sue Hum-Musser. My focus is on Molecular Biology. I have never
been fascinated about fungi until I took Medical Mycology, this class opened my eyes
to the hidden facts about fungi and its applications. It's so much interesting
and fun learning about the various forms of fungi and its relative
infections..I hope you enjoy my Blog on Sporotrichosis
which is very unique because the Causative agent loves the Rose
flower...........
Taxonomy of Sporotrichosis
Phylum:
Ascomycota
Class:
Pyrenomycetes
Order:
Ophiostomatales
Family:
ophiostomataceae
General Description
Sporotrichosis is a skin infection caused by the fungus Sporothrix schenckii. This fungus is dimorphic, the fungus exists as a mold when found in the environment and as yeast when found in the host. It usually colonizes plant materials, decaying vegetation, soil and woods. Sporothrix schenckii is found all over the world, most common in the tropical and subtropical America (Restrepo 1986 ). Sporotrichosis has also been referred to as "rose handler's disease” (Rapini 2007). This is due primarily to the fact that they found a high prevalence of the disease in individuals that grow roses. The infection can occur when these individuals get skin cuts from the rose thorns and the fungus present on these thorns infect the cuts on the skin. It is also possible that the soil for cultivating roses might be contaminated with the fungus and individuals get infected when the fungus is in contact with the cuts from the rose thorns (Ryan 2004). Sporotrichosis has two clinical manifestations: 1. cutaneous sporotrichosis which is common and 2. pulmonary sporotrichosis which is probably acquired when the fungus spores are inhaled, this infection is more dangerous although it is rarely found in individuals that are immunocompetent (Restrepo 1986 ).
Sporotrichosis is a skin infection caused by the fungus Sporothrix schenckii. This fungus is dimorphic, the fungus exists as a mold when found in the environment and as yeast when found in the host. It usually colonizes plant materials, decaying vegetation, soil and woods. Sporothrix schenckii is found all over the world, most common in the tropical and subtropical America (Restrepo 1986 ). Sporotrichosis has also been referred to as "rose handler's disease” (Rapini 2007). This is due primarily to the fact that they found a high prevalence of the disease in individuals that grow roses. The infection can occur when these individuals get skin cuts from the rose thorns and the fungus present on these thorns infect the cuts on the skin. It is also possible that the soil for cultivating roses might be contaminated with the fungus and individuals get infected when the fungus is in contact with the cuts from the rose thorns (Ryan 2004). Sporotrichosis has two clinical manifestations: 1. cutaneous sporotrichosis which is common and 2. pulmonary sporotrichosis which is probably acquired when the fungus spores are inhaled, this infection is more dangerous although it is rarely found in individuals that are immunocompetent (Restrepo 1986 ).
Natural Habitat
The natural habitat of
the fungus is plant materials, rose thorns, decaying vegetation, woods, and soil (Volk 2007 ).
Figure 1. The Rose flower is a popular habitat for the fungus Sporothrix schenckii (image from www.saltworks.us)
Figure 1. The Rose flower is a popular habitat for the fungus Sporothrix schenckii (image from www.saltworks.us)
Causes of Sporotrichosis
Sporotrichosis
is majorly caused by direct contact of the inoculum with the skin through a small
cut or abrasion, on few occasions, the infection can also be acquired from
inhaling spores. This fungus infection is sometimes gotten through bites,
stings and scratches from different kind of animals, birds and insects. The
fungus infection is popular among horticulturists, farmers, plant
nursery and gardeners. It is also common in people with a compromised immune
system when they inhale the spores (Kauffman 2011 ).
Growth and Colony identification
The fungus is known to survive optimally at temperatures ranging
between 25-37 degrees Celsius. The fungus grows on brain heart infusion agar at
an incubation temperature of around 37 degrees Celsius, the colony appears
creamy and turns dark on further incubation, and at 25 degrees celsius, colonies
are leathery and moist with surface appearing wrinkled (Fig 2). The culture normally
takes between 1 to 3 weeks (Pappas 2000 ) .
Figure 2. Creamy colony of Sporothrix schenckii culture (Image from
healthscience4_wikispace.com)
Symptoms of Sporotrichosis
Symptoms
usually include presence of bumps in the skin, this may develop into a chronic
ulcer if not managed in time (Ryan 2004 ). The lesion is usually found in the arm,
fingers and hands (Fig 3). In occasions when the spores of the fungus are inhaled, symptoms
may include coughing and swollen lymph nodes. In systemic cases it can spread
to the nervous system causing lungs and breathing problems (Kevin 2011 ).
Epidemiology
Sporotrichosis
often affects immunosuppressed and occasionally affects immunocompetent
individuals. Causes of infection are usually traumatic implantation of the
fungus on the skin and by inhaling spores into the lungs which happen in rare
cases (Rapini 2007). The infection is an occupational hazard for farmers,
florists, nursery and forestry workers, gardeners and
manual laborers. The disease is found worldwide and more prominent in tropical
and subtropical America (Volk 2007).
Figure 3. ulceration and indurate nodules caused by traumatic implantation of Sporothrix schenckii fungus (Image from microbewikki.kenyon.edu)
Examples of Clinical Cases
Case report 1
This
case was reported on the 2nd of February 1981, at the bureau of
community health and prevention in division of health in Wisconsin. They
receive two brothers, high school students, who were recently employed at
southeastern Wisconsin garden center as a part time worker, their age’s ranges
between 16 and 17 years, both of them had actually develop ulcerating lesion, the lesion was present on
their wrist and hand, probably gotten while working in the garden. Initially
they received antibiotics treatment and there was no improvement,l ymphangitis
simultaneously developed, so they took swabs from the lesions of the two
brothers and made a fungus culture at the hospital, results revealed that both
cultures were positive for Sporothrix schenckii. The two brothers were quickly treated
with antifungal drugs itraconazole and potassium iodide, and shortly they
recovered (Gastineau et al. 1982 ).
Case
report 2
Diagnosis
Sporotrichosis do share similar symptoms with
other common infections such as the dermatophytes, that make it a bit difficult
in its diagnosis, It is recommended to make a culture
of the fungus from the infected part like the skin and also culture from the
cerebrospinal fluid and sputum for confirmation (Kauffman 2011).
Prevention of Sporotrichosis
Vaccines for this infection has not been
discovered so far, but a good means of prevention is to wear protective
clothing’s like gloves and long sleeves when dealing with risk factors such as
plants (e.g. roses plants, hay, pine seedlings) and other objects that can lead
to a cut or puncture on the skin and also since people at risk are mostly
people working at places where there is high thorny plants and other
inhabitants of the fungus, much care should be taken when handling such
materials.
Treatments
The treatments for
sporotrichosis involves the use of anti fungal drugs which includes amphotericin B, itraconazole,
ketoconazole, flucytosine and saperconazole, sporotrichosis has also been
treated with potassium and sodium iodide. Cutaneous sporotrichosis mostly
shows a positive response to treatments like amphotericin B, however pulmonary sporotrichosis may need surgery in
addition to the antifungal drugs (Hogan 2010 ).
References
Restrepo, A., J. Robledo, I. Gomez, A. M. Tabares, and R.
Gutierrez. 1986. Itraconazole therapy in lymphangitic and cutaneous
sporotrichosis. Arch. Dermatol. 122:413-417.
Kauffman CA. Sporotrichosis. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds.Cecil Medicine. 24th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 345.
Kauffman CA. Sporotrichosis. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds.Cecil Medicine. 24th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 345.
Pappas, P. G., I. Tellez, A. E.
Deep, D. Nolasco, W. Holgado, and B. Bustamante. 2000. Sporotrichosis in Peru:
Description of an area of hyperendemicity. Clin.
Infect. Dis. 30:
65–70.
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Rose-picker's Disease". Tom Volk's
Fungus of the Month. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
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Benefit Trends. 2010;22:49-52.
Rex
JH, Okhuysen PC. Sporothrix schenckii. In: Mandell GL,Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds.
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Gastineau FM, Spolyar LW, Haynes E. Sporotrichosis: report of
six cases among florists. JAMA 1941;117:1074-7
Grotte M, Younger B. Sporotrichosis associated with sphagnum
moss exposure. Arch Pathol Lab Med 1981;105:50-1
Kevin T Merrell, MD, PhD, Staff Physician,
Department of Emergency Medicine, Denver Health Medical Center, University of
Colorado 2011.
http://www.cdc.gov/fungal//sporotrichosis/risk-prevention.html
Powell KE, Taylor A, Phillips BJ, et al. Cutaneous
sporotrichosis in forestry workers. Epidemic due to contaminated sphagnum moss.
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