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Scientist Rodrigo de Almeida Paes's Background 

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Scientist Rodrigo de Almeida Paes's Background 

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Rodrigo de Almeida Paes assisted in writing and conducted research on Sporotrichosis. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21976602/

He  works at the Institution of Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, under the department of National Institute of Infectology (IPEC).

More information about him and his research can be found at https://www.researchgate.net/lab/Rodrigo-de-Almeida-Paes-Lab

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A credible and additional informational video about Sporotrichosis can be found here.

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Sporotrichosis is an infection caused by a fungus known as Sporothrix schenckii. Outbreaks of sporotrichosis have been documented in the United States, Western Australia, and Brazil. The exact incidence of sporotrichosis is unknown, but people at increased risk for sporotrichosis usually have occupational or recreational exposures related to agriculture, horticulture, forestry, or gardening.

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https://www.healthline.com/health/sporotrichosis#pictures

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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21976602/

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Written by: Monica Bastos de Lima Barros, Rodrigo de Almedia Paes, and Armando Oliveira Schubach

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Your access to the NCBI website at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov has been temporarily blocked due to a possible misuse/abuse situation involving your site. This is not an indication of a security issue such as a virus or attack. It could be something as simple as a run away script or learning how to better use E-utilities, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK25497/, for more efficient work such that your work does not impact the ability of other researchers to also use our site. To restore access and understand how to better interact with our site to avoid this in the future, please have your system administrator contact info@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.

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Your access to the NCBI website at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov has been temporarily blocked due to a possible misuse/abuse situation involving your site. This is not an indication of a security issue such as a virus or attack.

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Written by: Omeed Sizar; Raja Talati

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Your access to the NCBI website at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov has been temporarily blocked due to a possible misuse/abuse situation involving your site. This is not an indication of a security issue such as a virus or attack. It could be something as simple as a run away script or learning how to better use E-utilities, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK25497/, for more efficient work such that your work does not impact the ability of other researchers to also use our site. To restore access and understand how to better interact with our site to avoid this in the future, please have your system administrator contact info@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.

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Your access to the NCBI website at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov has been temporarily blocked due to a possible misuse/abuse situation involving your site. This is not an indication of a security issue such as a virus or attack.

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Omeed Sizar and Raja Talati in the article "Sporotrichosis" explain the progress there has been in researching and treating patients with sporotrichosis. In the article under "Treatment/ Management," they explain how potassium iodide was being used to treat this fungal disease up until 1990s. There were many health risks to using potassium iodide, such as stomach issues, rashes, inflammation in salivary glands, etc.
In the 1990's they introduced a new drug to treat Sporotrichosis, known as itraconazole, however, pregnant women are not safe to use this drug.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532255/#_article-29407_s10_

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There are two types of Sporothrix schenckii. It either exists as a hyphal where the fungus grows off each other in branches. This type of Spororthix only exists in environments less than 37 degrees Celsius. Whereas, budding yeast, which is single-celled bunched together exists in environments warmer than 37 degree Celsius.

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Brazil is one country that suffers from the most Sporotrichosis outbreaks. This is caused mostly from cat scratches spreading the fungal infection off to humans and other mammals around.

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In order to stay away from contracting Sporotrichosis proper gloves, face masks, and proper cleaning is advised and the most preventable way from contracting the fungal infection.

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Itraconazole is the drug of choice when treating Sporotrichosis. There are different dosages based on the type of Sporotrichosis and age of the patient. For women who are pregnant intraconazole is not safe, they are advised to use amphotericin B after 12 weeks of pregnancy. Immunocompromised patients also use amphotericin B.

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Sporotrichosis has an incubation period for a couple of days up to three months.

People with cutaneous sporotrichosis typically do not have any symptoms and lab examinations are normal.

Pulmonary sporotrichosis symptoms can involve a cough, weight loss, and a fever. People who are at higher risk if they develop Pulmonary sporotrichosis include individuals who deal with diabetes, being immunocompromised, chronic pulmonary issues, and drug abuse.

Whereas, disseminated effects usually only immunocompromised people, and symptoms are not always prevalent.

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Sporothrix is a form of fungus that forms infectious nodes in soil, plants, organic matter, and handling animals. It is always obtained by not wearing proper protective gear.
Most people at risk are gardeners, hunters, miners, farmers, and people who work with animals.

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Cutaneous (skin): most common type, affecting skin or arms after touching the contaminated plant
Pulmonary (lungs): this is rare, but can occur from breathing in fungal spores from the environment
Disseminated: occurs when the infection spreads to the bones, joints, nervous system, etc

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Sporotrichosis is a fungal disease, it effects individuals that come in contact with fungal spores called Sporothrix. The fungus can be found in soil all around the world and commonly found on moss, hay, rose bushes, and animals. It affects a variety of mammals around the world including humans.

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What is sporotrichosis?

Sporotrichosis (also known as "rose gardener's disease") is an infection caused by a fungus called Sporothrix. This fungus lives throughout the world in soil and on plant matter such as sphagnum moss, rose bushes, and hay.¹,2 People get sporotrichosis by coming in contact with the fungal spores in the environment. Cutaneous (skin) infection is the most common form of the infection. It occurs when the fungus enters the skin through a small cut or scrape, usually after someone touches contaminated plant matter. Skin on the hands or arms is most commonly affected.

Types of sporotrichosis

Cutaneous (skin) sporotrichosis is the most common form of the infection. It usually occurs on a person's hand or the arm after touching contaminated plant matter.

Pulmonary (lung) sporotrichosis is rare but can happen after someone breathes in fungal spores from the environment.

Disseminated sporotrichosis occurs when the infection spreads to another part of the body, such as bones, joints, or central nervous system. This form of sporotrichosis usually affects people with health problems or who take medicines that lower the body's ability to fight germs and sickness, such as people living with HIV (see Risk & Prevention).

Sporotrichosis has been caused by scratches or bites from animals, particularly cats. Learn more about Sporothrix brasiliensis, a fungus that cats are spreading in Brazil and other areas of South America.

Symptoms

The symptoms of sporotrichosis depend on where the fungus is growing in the body. Contact your healthcare provider if you have symptoms that you think are related to sporotrichosis.

Sporotrichosis usually affects the skin or tissues underneath the skin. The first symptom of cutaneous (skin) sporotrichosis is usually a small, painless bump that can develop any time from 1 to 12 weeks after exposure to the fungus. The bump can be red, pink, or purple, and usually appears on the finger, hand, or arm where the fungus has entered through a break in the skin. The bump will eventually grow larger and may look like an open sore or ulcer that is very slow to heal. Additional bumps or sores may appear later near the original one.

Pulmonary (lung) sporotrichosis is rare. Symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, and fever.

Symptoms of disseminated sporotrichosis depend on the body part affected. For example, infection of the joints can cause joint pain that may be confused with rheumatoid arthritis. Infections of the central nervous system can involve difficulty thinking, headache, and seizures.

Risk & Prevention

Who gets sporotrichosis?

People who touch plant matter such as sphagnum moss, rose bushes, or hay are more likely to become infected. For example, sporotrichosis outbreaks have occurred among forestry workers, people who work in tree nurseries and garden centers, and people who handle hay bales.

The severe forms of sporotrichosis (those that affect the lungs, bones or joints, or central nervous system) usually affect people with weakened immune systems or other diseases including diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), alcoholism, or HIV.¹,3,4

How can I lower the chance of developing sporotrichosis?

You can lower the chance of getting sporotrichosis by wearing protective clothing such as gloves and long sleeves when touching plant matter that can cause minor cuts or scrapes.

In Brazil, people have gotten sporotrichosis from contact with cats. This form of sporotrichosis ( Sporothrix brasiliensis) has not been found in the United States. Be careful with unfamiliar animals, particularly cats. Cat bites and scratches can spread the fungus that causes sporotrichosis, and other diseases. This fungus is most often spread by stray cats and pet cats that are allowed outdoors. Learn more about sporotrichosis from cats.

Where Sporotrichosis Comes From

Sporotrichosis is often linked to sphagnum moss, rose bushes, hay, or animal scratches or bites.

The fungus that causes sporotrichosis lives in the environment.
Sporothrix, the fungus that causes sporotrichosis, lives in the environment in soil and on plant matter such as sphagnum moss, rose bushes, hay, or wood. The microscopic fungus can enter the skin through small cuts or scrapes. In rare cases, breathing in the fungus can cause a pulmonary (lung) infection. The type of sporotrichosis found in North America is not contagious and can't spread from person to person. However, in South America, a type of sporotrichosis caused by Sporothrix brasiliensis spreads through scratches or bites from animals, particularly cats. (This fungal illness is not cat-scratch disease, a bacterial illness spread by cats - which occurs worldwide, wherever cats live.)

Diagnosis & Testing

Your healthcare provider will take a small tissue sample (biopsy) of the infected area of the body for laboratory tests. The laboratory will usually perform a fungal culture to find out what is causing the infection. Blood tests can help diagnose severe sporotrichosis, but usually can't diagnose skin infections.

Treatment

Most cases of sporotrichosis only involve the skin or the tissues underneath the skin. These infections are not life-threatening, but must be treated with prescription antifungal medicine for several months. The most common treatment for this type of sporotrichosis is itraconazole, taken by mouth for 3 to 6 months. Supersaturated potassium iodide (SSKI) is another treatment option for skin sporotrichosis. SSKI and azole drugs like itraconazole should not be used if you are pregnant.

If you have severe sporotrichosis that affects your lungs, bones, joints, or central nervous system, you'll probably receive intravenous amphotericin B medicine, which is given through a vein. After the first treatment with amphotericin B, you may receive itraconazole by mouth, for a total of at least 1 year of antifungal treatment. People with sporotrichosis in the lungs may also need surgery to cut away the infected tissue.

Healthcare providers: For detailed treatment guidelines, please refer to the Infectious Diseases Society of America's Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Sporotrichosisexternal icon .

Statistics

Diagnosed sporotrichosis is rare, but the number of cases is difficult to determine because there is no national surveillance for it in the United States. Population-based incidence estimates for sporotrichosis were obtained from laboratory surveillance in the San Francisco Bay Area during 1992-1993 and suggested a yearly rate of less than one case per 1 million population.⁵ However, more mild infections may not be diagnosed. Sporotrichosis may be more common in other parts of the world, such as Latin America.² For example, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, more than 2,200 cases were reported during 1998-2009.⁶ Another study suggested a rate of 48 to 60 sporotrichosis cases per 100,000 population in the south central highlands of Peru.⁷

Sporotrichosis outbreaks

In the United States, sporotrichosis outbreaks have occurred among people who touched sphagnum moss or hay, such as forestry workers,8,9 tree nursery and garden center workers,10-12 and people who worked with or played on hay bales.13-16 Sporotrichosis outbreaks also have been reported in several other countries, including Australia, Brazil, China, Guatemala, and South Africa.2 Healthcare providers who are concerned about an unusual number of new cases should contact their state or local public health agency.

An ongoing outbreak of sporotrichosis is occurring in some cities in Brazil, where the infection has become common in outdoor cats and can spread to humans through bites or scratches. Learn more about this problem.

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Sporotrichosis is a rare infection caused by a fungus called Sporothrix. This fungus lives throughout the world in soil and on plant matter such as sphagnum moss, rose bushes, and hay.