Sporotrichosis with widespread cutaneous lesions: report of 24 cases related to transmission by domestic cats in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Background: Sporotrichosis most commonly presents as a localized lymphocutaneous infection following traumatic inoculation of soil, vegetables or organic substrates contaminated with the dimorphic fungus Sporothrix schenckii. Cases of widespread cutaneous lesions are rare. There have been isolated reports of household outbreaks of sporotrichosis involving cats and humans.

Methods: We report 24 cases of culture-proven sporotrichosis presenting with widespread cutaneous lesions.

Results: These 24 cases are part of an epidemic currently occurring in Rio de Janeiro. All patients reported contact with cats with sporotrichosis and 17 reported a history of a scratch or bite. Clinical manifestations included fixed lesions at multiple anatomical sites, and fixed lesions associated with the lymphocutaneous, bilateral lymphocutaneous and mucosal forms of the disease. Two patients were alcoholics and one patient was diabetic, while the remaining patients did not present any immunosuppressing condition. All patients responded to treatment with itraconazole.

Conclusions: The domestic cat has played an important role in the transmission of sporotrichosis in Rio de Janeiro and seems to have contributed to this unusual clinical manifestation.