Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Zoonotic transmission of sporotrichosis: case report and review.
- Journal:
- Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
- Year:
- 1993
- Authors:
- Reed, K D et al.
- Affiliation:
- Microbiology Section
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
This report describes a case where a veterinarian got an infection called sporotrichosis from a cat. The infection was confirmed to be the same type in both the cat and the veterinarian through genetic testing. While sporotrichosis is rare in humans, it can happen through direct contact with a cat that has skin lesions infected with the fungus. The study emphasizes that veterinarians and their staff should be careful and wear gloves when handling cats with these types of wounds to reduce the risk of infection. Overall, the findings suggest that awareness and proper precautions can help prevent most cases of this infection.
Abstract
We report a case of sporotrichosis in a veterinarian who acquired the infection from a cat. Transmission was confirmed at the genetic level by demonstration that the two clinical isolates of Sporothrix schenckii had identical restriction-fragment-length profiles of whole-cell DNA. Review of the literature indicates that zoonotic transmission of sporotrichosis is rare and is virtually always associated with direct contact with an infected cat. Exposure to the large number of fungal organisms present in skin lesions of cats with sporotrichosis can result in transmission of infection to humans even without an associated penetrating injury. Since veterinarians and their assistants are at greatest risk, awareness of this mode of transmission and proper use of gloves when caring for cats with cutaneous ulcers should prevent most cases.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8095815/