Study of sporotrichosis in cats in Guarulhos city, state of São Paulo

Abstract

Sporotrichosis is the subcutaneous mycosis more often in urban areas. It is a disease of worldwide distribution, occurring mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. Clinically the disease is characterized as a subcutaneous mycosis, presenting lesions with nodular papulopustular feature or gummy ulcer. In General, is acquired by traumatic inoculation of the agent on the skin, through contact with soil and contaminated objects, and scratch, bite or by direct contact with lesions of infected animals. In humans, severe cases of sporotrichosis are rare; in the domestic cat, however, the clinical signs is quite diverse, and same, with systemic involment, could evolve into the death. Although there is description of other animals as possible transmitters of the disease, none of them presents a zoonotic potential important as the cat. Although the occurrence of sporotrichosis in animals, especially in cats, and their transmission to humans has already been described in several countries, anywhere else the disease assumed epidemic proportions as in Brazil. The delay in the diagnosis and treatment of cats can take the rapid dispersion of the disease through the members of the community. Thus, the objective of this study is to analyze the epidemiology of strains of Sporothrix schenckii complex in relation to phenotypic, molecular aspects and susceptibility to drugs, isolated from domestic cats (Felis catus) in the city of Guarulhos, São Paulo State.