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Mycobacterium chelonae and Sporothrix globosa , both of which are opportunistic pathogens, have been proved to be possible multidrug resistant. However, are all recurring symptoms in chronic infections related to decreasing susceptibility? Here we report a case of sporotrichosis secondary to M. chelonae infection. In addition, we find that the blackish-red spots under the dermoscopic view can be employed as a signal for the early identification and regression of subcutaneous fungal infection.

Sporotrichosis, a mycosis resulting from cutaneous or subcutaneous infection with the dimorphic fungus Sporothrix , has been reported in China, particularly in the northeast region. In this review, we conducted a thorough examination of the recent advancements in sporotrichosis in China, encompassing aspects such as etiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment strategies. Within the Chinese context, fixed cutaneous sporotrichosis represents the prevailing clinical manifestation. Fungal culture stands as the gold standard for diagnosing sporotrichosis, while polymerase chain reaction techniques can enhance both the specificity and sensitivity of diagnosis. Besides conventional systemic antifungal agents, alternative modalities such as Chinese herbal medicines, photodynamic therapy and laser therapy show potential efficacy against sporotrichosis.

Sporotrichosis is a subcutaneous infection caused by fungi from the genus Sporothrix . It is transmitted by inoculation of infective particles found in plant-contaminated material or diseased animals, characterizing the classic sapronotic and emerging zoonotic transmission, respectively. Since 1998, southeastern Brazil has experienced a zoonotic sporotrichosis epidemic caused by S. brasiliensis , centred in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Our observation of feline sporotrichosis cases in Brasília (Midwestern Brazil), around 900 km away from Rio de Janeiro, led us to question whether the epidemic caused by S. brasiliensis has spread from the epicentre in Rio de Janeiro, emerged independently in the two locations, or if the disease has been present and unrecognized in Midwestern Brazil. A retrospective analysis of 91 human and 4 animal cases from Brasília, ranging from 1993 to 2018, suggests the occurrence of both sapronotic and zoonotic transmission. Molecular typing of the calmodulin locus identified S. schenckii as the agent in two animals and all seven human patients from which we were able to recover clinical isolates. In two other animals, the disease was caused by S. brasiliensis . Whole-genome sequence typing of seven Sporothrix spp. strains from Brasília and Rio de Janeiro suggests that S. brasiliensis isolates from Brasília are genetically distinct from those obtained at the epicentre of the outbreak in Rio de Janeiro, both in phylogenomic and population genomic analyses. The two S. brasiliensis populations seem to have separated between 2.2 and 3.1 million years ago, indicating independent outbreaks or that the zoonotic S. brasiliensis outbreak might have started earlier and be more widespread in South America than previously recognized.

Aim: Sporothrix schenckii is the causative agent of sporotrichosis. A 70-kDa glycoprotein, Gp70, is a candidate for the development of prophylactic alternatives to control the disease, and its gene (GP70) is predicted to encode for a protein of 43 kDa, contrasting with the molecular weight of the native protein., Materials & Methods: The GP70 was expressed in bacteria, the recombinant protein purified, used in immunoassays and injected to Galleria mellonella., Results & Conclusion: The recombinant protein was detected by anti-Gp70 antibodies, confirming that the Gp70 backbone is a 43-kDa peptide. This protein showed enzyme activity of cyclase and was recognized by sera of patients with sporotrichosis. Although it was not useful for serodiagnosis of sporotrichosis, it conferred protection to animals against experimental sporotrichosis.

Sporothrix globosa is the main causative agent of sporotrichosis, a common mycosis that usually affects the skin, in China. Despite increasing efforts in the molecular identification of this fungal pathogen, its modes of transmission and epidemiology remain poorly understood. The goals of this study were to assess the genetic diversity of S. globosa using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis and to assess the correlation of AFLP profiles with the geographic origins, growth rates, clinical forms, and antifungal susceptibilities of S. globosa isolates. AFLP analysis of 225 clinical S. globosa isolates from eight provinces or municipalities in China identified eight distinct clustering groups (I-VIII), with groups I, II and IV being the most common. The AFLP genotypes showed distinct distribution patterns among different regions within Jilin Province and between northern and southern China, but there was no obvious association between the AFLP genotypes and the growth rates, clinical forms or antifungal susceptibilities of the S. globosa isolates. These results expand our understanding of the genetic variation of S. globosa and suggest that AFLP analysis is a potentially useful tool for studying the epidemiology of this fungal pathogen.

Sporothrix schenckii, now named the S. schenckii species complex, has largely been known as the etiological agent of sporotrichosis, which is an acute or chronic subcutaneous mycosis of humans and other mammals. Gene sequencing has revealed the following species in the S. schenckii complex: Sporothrix albicans, Sporothrix brasiliensis, Sporothrix globosa, Sporothrix luriei, Sporothrix mexicana and S. schenckii. The increasing number of reports of Sporothrix infection in immunocompromised patients, mainly the HIV-infected population, suggests sporotrichosis as an emerging global health problem concomitant with the AIDS pandemic. Molecular studies have demonstrated a high level of intraspecific variability. Components of the S. schenckii cell wall that act as adhesins and immunogenic inducers, such as a 70-kDa glycoprotein, are apparently specific to this fungus. The main glycan peptidorhamnomannan cell wall component is the only O-linked glycan structure known in S. schenckii. It contains an α-mannobiose core followed by one α-glucuronic acid unit, which may be mono- or di-rhamnosylated. The oligomeric structure of glucosamine-6-P synthase has led to a significant advance in the development of antifungals targeted to the enzyme's catalytic domain in S. schenckii.

Sporothrix inflata is a saprobic member of the Ophiostoma stenoceras-Sporothrix schenckii species complex, reported mainly from soil. Ophiostoma bragantinum, an ascomycete described from Brazil, has been proposed as its possible teleomorph. Previous studies revealed that Sporothrix inflata is phenotypically and genetically variable, suggesting the existence of cryptic species. During a continued survey on the biodiversity of microfungi from different countries, seven isolates morphologically similar to S. inflata were obtained from soil samples collected in Spain and USA. In this study their phenotypic features and phylogenetic relationships were assessed. DNA sequence data of two nuclear loci revealed that these isolates correspond to two unnamed clades in S. inflata s.l., one of which also included the type strain of Humicola dimorphospora, a species that traditionally has been considered a synonym of S. inflata. These two groups are proposed herein as Sporothrix brunneoviolacea sp. nov. and Sporothrix dimorphospora comb. nov. S. brunneoviolacea is characterized phenotypically by the production of a diffusible violet-brown pigment in culture and mostly globose, pigmented, lateral blastoconidia. On the other hand S. dimorphospora lacks diffusible pigments and shows mostly subglobose to obovoid pigmented lateral blastoconidia. In contrast to the type strain of S. inflata S. brunneoviolacea and S. dimorphospora assimilate raffinose. The phylogenetic analysis suggested that the proposed anamorph-teleomorph connection between S. inflata and O. bragantinum might not be correct.

Sporothrix, one of the anamorph genera of Ophiostoma, includes the important human pathogen S. schenckii and various fungi associated with insects and sap stain of wood. A survey of fungi from wood utility poles in South Africa yielded two distinct groups of Sporothrix isolates from different geographical areas. DNA sequence and morphological data derived in this study showed that isolates in these groups represent two novel species in the S. schenckii-O. stenoceras species complex. A new species isolated from pine poles and rosebush wood and phylogenetically closely related to S. pallida is described here as Sporothrix stylites. Phylogenetic analyses also confirmed the synonymy of S. albicans and S. nivea with S. pallida. Sporothrix stylites and S. pallida also are related closely to the isolates from soil, previously treated as "environmental" isolates of S. schenckii. Soil isolates are clearly distinct from human isolates of S. schenckii. We describe the former here as Sporothrix humicola. The isolates from eucalypt poles group peripheral to most other species in the S. schenckii-O. stenoceras complex and are newly described as Sporothrix lignivora. Phylogenetic analyses of sequences of isolates from soil and wood together with those of clinical isolates showed that the human-pathogenic strains form an aggregate of several cryptic species.