Feline sporotrichosis due to Sporothrix brasiliensis: an emerging animal infection in São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

Background: Sporotrichosis is a mycotic infectious disease that is generally acquired by traumatic inoculation of contaminated materials especially from plant debris or through bites and scratches from diseased animals, such as domestic cats. It affects the skin, lymphatic system, and other organs in the warm-blooded host. Etiological agents are embedded in the plant-associated order Ophiostomatales. With essential differences between possible outbreak sources and ecological niche, host-environment interactions are classic determinants of risk factors for disease acquisition. Sporotrichosis outbreaks with zoonotic transmission, such as those that are ongoing in southern and southeastern Brazil, have highlighted the threat of cross-species pathogen transmission. Sporothrix brasiliensis has emerged as a human threat owing to the intimate contact pattern between diseased cats and humans in endemic areas.

Sporothrix brasiliensis outbreaks and the rapid emergence of feline sporotrichosis

“…Indeed, the high number of cases in a short period is compatible with the ongoing situation reported earlier in other endemic areas of Brazil. [1][2][3]6,12,14,15,19,20,28,29 The real prevalence of feline sporotrichosis is likely to be underestimated in Southern Brazil, since it is not an obligatorily reported disease. We considered only the cases referred to FAMED-FURG and with confirmed laboratorial diagnosis of sporotrichosis, i.e., by isolation of Sporothrix in culture.…”

“…14,20 More recently, the beginning of a similar outbreak was described in São Paulo, and S. brasiliensis was involved during animal-animal transmission. 2 Sporothrix epizootics in cats also occurs through the Rio Grande do Sul state. 18,[21][22][23] However, the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul is highlighted due to the expressive number of cases described compared to adjacent areas, 18 with the epicentre around the city of Rio Grande.…”

“…4,9 However, in the alternative route of infection, comprising horizontal animal transmission (e.g., cat-cat) in addition to zoonotic transmission (e.g., cat-human), S. brasiliensis propagules may be efficiently transferred via deep scratch and bites of infected animals in endemic areas. 1,2 Zoonotic sporotrichosis outbreaks have been described since the 1990's and are emerging as an important infectious disease in South and Southeast Brazil. 3,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] These cases are mainly associated with S. brasiliensis, 1,3 and domestic cats play key roles in disease epidemiology.…”

Doenças micóticas em gatos no Rio Grande do Sul

“…Uma característica importante da esporotricose é o seu potencial zoonótico, e o gato é o principal veiculador da doença para os humanos (Montenegro et al 2014).…”

<i>Sporothrix brasiliensis</i>: aspectos imunol&oacute;gicos e virul&ecirc;ncia

“…Animais adultos saem durante a noite em busca de caça ou em função dos rituais reprodutivos, quando a fêmea em cio, costuma atrair os machos que irão disputá-la em brigas. Nestas ocasiões, animais portadores de lesões ulceradas, com grande quantidade de células leveduriformes, poderão transmitir a esporotricose pelo contato direto com essas lesões ou pelos ferimentos produzidos por mordeduras ou arranhaduras de gatos doentes (CRUZ, 2010;MONTENEGRO et al, 2014 A esporotricose cutânea fixa aparece como lesão única permanecendo restrita ao local de infecção e é predominante na epidemia por S. globosa na China (ZHANG et al, 2015). (ITOH et al, 1986).…”