Sporotrichosis: An Infectious Emerging Mycosis of Zoonotic Potential

Sporotrichosis (Berumann`s disease, peat moss disease, rose gardener’s disease, Schenck`s disease) is an infectious, subcutaneous or chronic granulomatous mycotic disease of humans aswell as animals. It is a life- threatening disease in immune compromised patients.

Sporotrichosis

Sporotrichosis is considered as an emerging zoonotic fungal disease in many regions of the world. An American researcher Benjamin Schenck is credited to identify the organism for the first time in 1898. The presence of asteroid bodies in pus from cutaneous lesions was first time noticed by Slendore in 1908. In 1920, Ghosh described the first case of sporotrichosis from Kolkata, which established the endemic focus of infection in the North-eastern belt of India. The disease is endemic in many regions of the world including India. Sporotrichosis is a disease of occupational risk, affecting agricultural workers, farmers, gardeners, and mine workers.Read more>>>>>

Sporotrichosis: An Infectious Emerging Mycosis of Zoonotic Potential

Mycotic diseases are being recognized as an important global public health problem of considerable dimension. These diseases occur in sporadic as well as in epidemic form, resulting in high morbidity and mortality.

Among several mycoses, sporotrichosis, caused by a thermo-dimorphic fungus Sporothrix schenckii, has emerged as an infectious disease in certain regions of the world.

The pathogen infects a wide variety of animals, but the cat is recognized as the pertinent source of sporotrichosis to humans. Humans usually acquire infection following traumatic inoculation of fungal contaminated materials or through bites and scratches by diseased cat.

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