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We aimed to develop and validate a Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) assay to Sporothrix brasiliensis. LAMP reaction was developed using six primers designed based on calmodulin gene. In the LAMP reaction, we tested twenty isolates of S. brasiliensis from animals and humans, along with ten tissue samples extracted from the left footpad of mice that had been experimentally infected with S. brasiliensis. In addition, it included DNA samples from various other fungal species for specificity evaluation. All S. brasiliensis isolates yielded positive results in the LAMP, and the limit of DNA detection was 1 ng/μL. All murine samples were positive in the test while DNA from other fungal species were all negative, resulting in 100% of sensitivity and specificity of primers. LAMP diagnosis technique is a promising alternative to sporotrichosis diagnosis, in a simple and cost-effective way. Further studies are warranted to validate this technique using animal model samples obtained from both humans and animals., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Cat-transmitted sporotrichosis is caused by the emerging fungal pathogen Sporothrix brasiliensis and constitutes a significant public health issue that affects people living in resource-poor urban centers in Brazil. The lack of knowledge about transmission dynamics makes it difficult to propose public health policies to contain the advance of sporotrichosis. We describe the recent emergence of 1,176 cases of sporotrichosis in cats (2016 to 2021) in the metropolitan region of Recife, Brazil, leading to significant zoonotic transmission and an overwhelming occurrence of S. brasiliensis as the etiological agent. Most cases were from cats in the cities of Olinda (408/1,176; 34.70%), Jaboatão dos Guararapes (332/1,176; 28.23%), and Recife (237/1,176; 20.15%). Molecular typing using amplified fragment length polymorphism (EcoRI-GA/MseI-AG) revealed low polymorphic information content (PIC = 0.2499) and heterozygosity (H = 0.2928), typical of an outbreak scenario. Dendrogram and multivariate cluster analysis revealed that isolates from Pernambuco are closely related to Rio de Janeiro isolates. We report a substantial occurrence of MAT1-2 idiomorphs in the metropolitan region of Recife (0:60 ratio; χ 2  = 60.000, P < 0.0001). The limited population differentiation and genetic diversity of the isolates from Pernambuco suggest a recent introduction, possibly via a founder effect, from the parental population in Rio de Janeiro. Our findings emphasize the critical importance of molecular surveillance of S. brasiliensis for outbreak response. A comprehensive one-health strategy is mandatory to control the spread of cat-transmitted sporotrichosis driven by S. brasiliensis, encompassing sanitary barriers, quick diagnosis, and treatment., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Sporotrichosis is a globally distributed subcutaneous mycosis caused by dimorphic Sporothrix species commonly found in soil, mosses, and decaying plant matter. The lymphocutaneous manifestation, historically associated with occupational activities and sapronotic transmission, has recently been observed to also occur through animal contact, particularly notable in Brazil. We describe a rare case of lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis with simultaneous pulmonary complications resulting from the scratching of a southern three-banded armadillo, Tolypeutes matacus, primarily inhabiting the arid forests of South America's central region. Speciation using multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) established the etiological agent as S. schenckii s. str., while amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis unveiled a novel genotype circulating in the Midwest of Brazil. The patient received treatment with itraconazole (200 mg/day) for two months, leading to substantial clinical improvement of cutaneous and pulmonary symptoms. This case highlights the critical role of animal-mediated transmission in sporotrichosis epidemiology, particularly within regions with diverse armadillo species. The unusual epidemiology and genetic characteristics of this case emphasize the need for enhanced awareness and diagnostic vigilance in atypical sporotrichosis presentations., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Sporotrichosis is a neglected subcutaneous mycosis of humans and animals acquired by traumatic inoculation of soil and plant material (classical route) contaminated with infectious propagules of the pathogen or being bitten/scratched by infected cats (alternative route). Within a genus composed of 53 species displaying an essentially environmental core, there are only a few members which have considerable impacts on human or animal health. Infections are typically caused by S. brasiliensis, S. schenckii or S. globosa. Rare mammal pathogens include members of the S. pallida and S. stenocereus complexes. To illustrate the tremendous impact of emerging zoonotic sporotrichosis on public health, we discuss the main features of the expanding epidemics driven by S. brasiliensis in cats and humans. The cat entry in the transmission chain of sporotrichosis, causing epizooties (cat-cat) or zoonosis (cat-human), has contributed to the definition of new paradigms in Sporothrix transmission, reaching epidemic levels, making the disease a serious public health problem. Indeed, S. brasiliensis infection in humans and animals is likely to become even more important in the future, with projections of its expansion in biogeographic domains and host range, as well as greater virulence in mammals. Therefore, lessons from a long-standing outbreak in the state of Rio de Janeiro about the source and distribution of the etiological agents among outbreak areas can be used to create better control and prevention plans and increase awareness of sporotrichosis as a serious emerging zoonotic disease.

Background: Sporotrichosis is a subcutaneous mycosis that affects humans and other animals. Infection prevails in tropical and subtropical countries. Until a few years ago, it was considered that two varieties of Sporothrix schenckii caused this mycosis, but by applying molecular taxonomic markers, it has been demonstrated that there are several cryptic species within S. schenckii complex which varies in susceptibility, virulence, and geographic distribution., Objective: This study aimed to identify the clinical isolates of Sporothrix spp. from patients with sporotrichosis in Medellin, Colombia, using two markers and to evaluate the in vitro susceptibility to itraconazole., Methods: Thirty-four clinical isolates of Sporothrix spp. from Colombia, three from Mexico, and one from Guatemala were identified through sequencing of the noncoding region ITS-1 + 5.8SDNAr + ITS-2 and of the fragment containing exons 3 and 4 of the β-tubulin gene. Clinical isolate sequences were compared with GenBank reference sequences using the BLASTN tool, and then, phylogenetic analysis was performed. Besides, the in vitro susceptibility to itraconazole was evaluated by determining the minimum inhibitory concentrations according to the CLSI M38-A2 method., Results: Clinical isolates were identified by morphology as Sporothrix spp. Using the molecular markers, ITS and β-tubulin, isolates were identified as S. schenckii sensu stricto (25) and Sporothrix globosa (13). Susceptibility to itraconazole was variable among clinical isolates., Conclusion: This is the first scientific publication that identifies species that cause sporotrichosis in Colombia, along with the antifungal susceptibility to itraconazole.

Sporotrichosis is a polymorphic disease of man and animals caused by traumatic implantation of propagules into the skin and subcutaneous tissue. Pathogenic species includes S. brasiliensis, S. schenckii, S. globosa and S. luriei. The disease is remarkable for its occurrence as sapronoses and/or zoonosis outbreaks in tropical and subtropical areas; although, the ecology of the clinical clade is still puzzling. Here, we describe an anamorphic Sporothrix strain isolated from soil in an armadillo's burrow, which was located in a hyper endemic area of Paracoccidioidomycosis in Brazil. This isolate was identified as S. schenckii sensu stricto (Clade IIa) based on morphological and physiological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses of calmodulin sequences. We then discuss the role of the nine-banded armadillo Dasypus novemcinctus as a natural carrier of Sporothrix propagules to better understand Sporothrix sources in nature and reveal essential aspects about the pathogen's eco-epidemiology.

Sporotrichosis is the most common deep mycosis in Northeast China which is an area of high epidemicity due to contact with reeds or cornstalks. In this study, we have characterized a total of 74 clinical isolates from fixed cutaneous, lymphocutaneous and disseminated clinical forms and from Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning provinces, respectively. All isolates (previously as Sporothrix schenckii) were identified as Sporothrix globosa according to their phenotypic characteristics and calmodulin gene sequences analysis. They were subdivided into two sub-clades (S. globosa I and S. globosa II). Most of our isolates (71/74) presented restricted growth at 37 °C, which differed from a previous report. Up to now, S. globosa is the only pathogenic species in Northeast China, no matter what kind of clinical form and which region it is isolated from. Most of our clinical isolates (68/74) were clustered with three Chinese environmental isolates reported in the literature. The new findings of S. globosa isolates on division and thermotolerance at 37 °C described in this study will help us gain a better understanding of S. globosa.

Sporotrichosis has significantly increased in Brazil in the last decade, particularly in the state of Rio de Janeiro, with the occurrence of an epidemic related to zoonotic transmission from cats to humans. Recently, four new phylogenetic species were incorporated into the Sporothrix species complex based on the phenotypic and molecular characteristics, and a new species name (Sporothrix brasiliensis) was proposed for some of the Sporothrix isolates from this epidemic. This study describes the characterization of 246 isolates obtained from patients attending the Laboratory of Infectious Dermatology, IPEC-FIOCRUZ, between 1998 and 2008, together with one environmental sample. Two hundred and six of the isolates (83.4%) were characterized as S. brasiliensis, 15 (6.0%) as S. schenckii, and one (0.5%) as S. mexicana. Twenty-five isolates (10.1%) could not be identified according to their phenotype and were classified as Sporothrix spp. The calmodulin gene was sequenced to confirm the identity of these isolates. The molecular analysis demonstrated that 24 of the isolates were S. brasiliensis, with the remainder being a S. globosa isolate. The isolate characterized phenotypically as S. mexicana was clustered on the S. schenckii clade. The correlation between molecular data and phenotypic characteristics described in this study is fundamental to the identification of the Sporothrix complex.

In this study, we investigated phylogenetic relationships among Italian Sporothrix schenckii isolates, by comparing their partial calmodulin sequences. In this analysis, we used 26 environmental strains of S. schenckii, plus two autochthonous clinical isolates. The results showed that our clinical strains grouped with S. schenckii sensu stricto isolates, whereas all 26 environmental isolates co-clustered with Sporothrix albicans (now regarded as a synonym of Sporothrix pallida), a non-pathogenic species closely related to S. schenckii. Furthermore, the group of environmental strains was found to be quite heterogeneous and further subdivided into two subgroups. The data reported here also showed that molecular methods, for specific identification of S. schenckii, developed before the description of its closely related species should be used with caution because of the possibility of false positive results, which could lead to inappropriate antifungal therapy. This study improves our understanding of the distribution of these new closely related Sporothrix species which also showed significant differences in antifungal susceptibilities.

We report a case of a researcher from a laboratory of Mycology in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil that presented a clinical evidence of sporotrichosis. The researcher had an accident while manipulating the microculture slides of chromoblastomycosis agents and presented a clinical evidence of sporotrichosis. As the laboratory has some cultures of Sporothrix schenckii, it was suggested that it might be a laboratory contamination. In order to test this hypothesis, the genotypic characterization of the samples was performed by means of the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis method. In addition, we evaluated the in vitro antifungal activity of four antifungal agents against the isolated fungus. The sample obtained from the researcher was not genetically similar to any of the samples kept in the laboratory and showed the minimum inhibitory concentrations of 0.5 μg/mL for itraconazole and ketoconazole, > 64 μg/mL for fluconazole and 0.125 μg/mL for terbinafine. It is suggested that the contamination had an environmental origin.

The authors reported the isolation and genetic characterization of Sporothrix schenckii strains from natural environmental samples and commercial amended and garden soils. Twenty-six isolates were recovered and identified as S. schenckii by using both phenotypic and molecular methods. The majority of the strains were isolated from commercial amended and garden soils, indicating that these products represent an important reservoir of the fungus. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the D1-D2 region of the 28S rRNA gene of environmental isolates, including S. schenckii ATCC 10268 and two Italian clinical strains, revealed a degree of difference sufficient to justify the separation of the examined isolates in two principal groups (environmental and clinical). Such separation in two groups is further supported by two well-conserved nucleotide polymorphisms, caused by single-base transitions, in the D1-D2 domain of rDNA. In this study, the presence in nature and/or in commercial products of S. schenckii is discussed. To our knowledge, this is the first study that reports the environmental isolation of S. schenckii from southern Italy.

Sporotrichosis is a mycotic infection rarely encountered in European countries, including Italy. We describe lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis in an immunocompetent 64-year-old male Italian mason. The patient had linear nodules along the right upper arm with severe lymphadenopathy in the same arm. Sporothrix schenckii was identified by phenotypic and molecular methods. Treatment with itraconazole and methylprednisolone followed by administration of itraconazole alone successfully cured the infection. To our knowledge, this is the first documented report of sporotrichosis from Calabria and Sicily, extreme southern Italy.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) types based on restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns with HaeIII were investigated in clinical isolates of Sporothrix schenckii in China. In addition to 23 mtDNA types (Types 1-23) so far reported, a new mtDNA type (Type 24) was found in this study. Type 24 was divided into two subtypes, Subtype 24A and 24B based on RFLP with EcoRV. Sixty-seven isolates in China consisted of 58 isolates of Type 4, 5 of Type 6, 1 of Type 5, 1 of Type 20 and 2 of Type 24. Based on the phylogeny of the mtDNA types (Types 1-24) constructed by estimating sequence divergences of mtDNA, mtDNA types clustered into two groups: Group A (Types 1-3, Type 11, Types 14-19 and Types 22-23) and Group B (Types 4-10, Types 12-13, Types 20-21 and Type 24). These results suggest that most S. schenckii isolates in China belong to Group B.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) types based on restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns with HaeIII were investigated in clinical isolates of Sporothrix schenckii in North and South America. In addition to 14 mtDNA types (Types 1-14) so far reported, six new mtDNA types, Types 15-20 were found in this study. Type 3 was divided into two subtypes, Subtype 3A and Subtype 3B based on RFLP with Msp1. Type 14 was also divided into three subtypes, Subtype 14A, Subtype 14B and Subtype 14C based on RFLP with Hha1. Nineteen isolates in the United States consisted of 1 isolate of Type 1, 12 of Type 2, 2 of Type 4, 3 of Type 14 (1 of Subtype 14B and 2 of Subtype 14C) and 1 of Type 15. Twenty nine isolates in Venezuela consisted of 13 of Type 3 (Subtype 3B), 6 of Type 4, 1 of Type 18, 3 of Type 19 and 6 of Type 20. Thirteen isolates in Argentina consisted of 2 of Type 3 (Subtype 3A), 4 of Type 4, 4 of Type 16 and 3 of Type 17. One isolate in Brazil was Type 3 (Subtype 3A). Based on the phylogeny of 20 mtDNA types (Types 1-20) constructed by estimating sequence divergences of mtDNA, mtDNA types were clustered into two groups: Group A (Types 1-3, Type 11 and Types 14-19) and Group B (Types 4-10, Types 12-13 and Type 20). These results suggest that S. schenckii isolates in North and South America mainly belong to Group A.

Mitochondrial DNA(mtDNA) diversity was investigated in 257 clinical isolants of Sporothrix schenckii obtained from 4 districts in Japan. S. schenckii was classified into 10 types based on Hae III restriction profiles. Phylogeny of types constructed by the method of Fitch and Margoliash [1] on the estimated sequence divergence within mtDNA using the methods of Nei and Li [2], showed that S. schenckii are grouped into 2 clusters, one group consisting of types 1, 2 and 3, and the other group consisting of the other seven types. In addition, types 1, 2, and 5 were correlated with their geographic origin, whereas type 4 was present throughout Japan.

This is the fourth in a series of reports bringing changes in the names of fungi of microbiological, industrial and medical importance to the attention of workers in these fields. The series is sponsored by the Division of Mycology of the International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS) and prepared under the auspices of the International Commission on the Taxonomy of Fungi (ICTF). The first of this series of reports included an introduction to the series explaining the need for name changes.

Exoantigen tests for the immunoidentification of fungal pathogens are playing a new and significant role in the diagnostic laboratory. Properly performed and controlled exoantigen tests lead to rapid, accurate identification of cultures of many fungal pathogens. The tests are particularly valuable in identifying dimorphic pathogens that are difficult to convert or with atypical cultures. We review the value of exoantigen tests for identifying mycelial form fungi: Aspergillus spp. Blastomyces dermatitidis, Coccidioides immitis, Exophiala jeanselmei, Histoplasma spp., Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, Penicillium marneffei, Pseudallescheria boydii, Sporothrix schenckii, Wangiella dermatitidis and certain dermatophytes. We discuss procedures for performing the tests and sources of error.

The black yeast-like fungus Exophiala jeanselmei (Langeron) McGinnis et Padhye was originally described as Torula jeanselmei by Langeron. Since its original description in 1928, this dematiaceous hyphomycete has been placed in the genera Phialophora, Pullularia and Rhinocladiella by various authors. Study of the type culture of E. jeanselmei has confirmed that the principle conidiogenous cells of this fungus are annellides, thus supporting its current generic disposition. After reviewing the neotype culture of Phialophora gougerotii (Matruchot) Borelli sensu Borelli, the type culture of Torula bergeri Langeron, authentic cultures of Margarinomyces heteromorpha (Nannfeldt) Mangenot sensu Mangenot, the type culture of Trichosporium heteromorphum Nannfeldt and the neotype culture of Exophiala mansonii (Castellani) de Hoog sensu de Hoog, as well as additional cultures, it was concluded that P. gougerotti sensu Borelli, T. bergeri and M. heteromorphis sensu Mangenot pro parte are conspecific with E. jeanselmei. Trichosporium heteromorphum and E. jeanselmei are not conspecific as suggested by some workers. Tr. heteromorphum is a distinct species and should be referred to as Phialophora heteromorpha (Nannfeldt) Wang. Sporotrichum gougerotti Matruchot is considered to be a later synonym of Sporothrix schenckii Hektoen et Perkins and E. mansonii sensu de Hoog as a later synonym of Microsporum mansonii Castellani. M. mansonii is held to be a later synonym of Malassezia furfur (Robin) Baillon. The neotype culture of E. mansonii produces phialides without collarettes.

Restriction profiles by HaeIII of mitochondrial DNA were studied for classification and distinction of Sporothrix schenckii (100 strains), S. schenckii var. luriei (1), S. curviconia (1), S. inflata (7), Ceratocystis stenoceras (17) and C. minor (7). These 6 species showed unique restriction profiles which could be discriminated from each other S. schenckii was further separable into 11 types, S. inflata into 4 types, C. stenoceras into 4 types and C. minor into 7 types based on restriction profile heterogeneity.